On the Road to Naglimund
by rubyhardflames
Summary: Follows Simon, Binabik, Marya, and Qantaqa's journey to Naglimund in The Dragonbone Chair but in the company of an extra person. Who is the magician girl who was there before them at Geloë's house? And how can she prove to help them in their cause?
1. Chapter 1

**=Not essentially important, but please read this note first.=**

I'm writing this to get my mind off a loss. Please excuse it, if it gets too confusing, but reviews are welcomed.

You may notice one of my OC's making an appearance here. I tried to introduce this OC in another light in a Game of Thrones version of the Disneyverse, but that fanfic got scrapped so here she is in Osten Ard.

* * *

Something soft was safe underneath her back. It eased the pain from the aches and wounds. Her head was resting on something equally soft, equally tranquilizing. Her body was kept warm with a gentle blanket. Shallow breathing made it rise and fall, rise and fall. In her unconscious state, she did not notice the soft footsteps on the wooden floorboards. Neither did she hear the rustle of robes as a thin figure knelt down beside her, with a steaming hot bowl of boiled herbs at the ready.

A hand of long fingers grasped her by the shoulder, shaking her gently. The movement snapped her out of her sleep, out of her dreams, and out of the paralysis that almost took her. Two dark brown eyes fluttered open weakly, then widely. Where was she? How had she come here? What happened before?

"Drink," a voice commanded. It was a woman's voice, although rather deep, and strangely accented.

Her head turned, and her long black hair followed, slipping all over her face. She brought up a hand to brush the strands away, and raised herself unsteadily on her elbow. She cringed; her head suddenly felt like it would split in two. Another migraine?

"Drink this," the voice said again, soothingly. The bowl of hot herb juice was extended towards her.

A tongue ran over her lips, so cracked and dry they were. Both hands reached for the bowl, and brought it to her mouth; a slight cough, for the herbal brew was bitter. But soon enough the bowl was downed. A wave of heat washed over her insides, a rather pleasant feeling. When she finished, she laid the bowl down on her lap, and passed a hand through her hair, particularly where her head hurt. It felt like a vein had swollen there, like it did whenever she had a migraine. Oh, how it hurt.

The fingers that gave her the bowl promptly took it away; but then they returned, only with water this time. "Here. Have some, then rest."

The water was finished much more quickly, for it was sweeter than the herbal concoction. And when the bowl was empty once more, it was taken away for the last time that night as she laid her aching head down to rest again, to bathe once more in faraway dreams.

* * *

"Hh...hel...p...mm...e..."

It was a feeling she hated, far more than anything in the whole wide world. To be unable to move, unable to lift the slightest finger, open a single eye...stuck in paralysis, while intruders came and went and did whatever the heck they wanted. It took what felt like all her strength to just open her mouth and grind out those words; fragmented though they may be; and even then they came out barely louder than a whisper.

Something shook her. Something with hands. Then she was able to move; finally!; and opened her eyes wide the moment she did so. It was like a miracle. Her hands could move, her legs could kick, and she could speak freely again. It always felt like a miracle when it ended. "Thank you," she said to her savior, whoever it was.

"You are welcome," the voice from the previous night answered her.

She lifted herself up from the bedding. There was no way she was going to have a relapse of that, no siree. The only solution was to wake up, and stay awake. Her head was much clearer now and devoid of pain, thanks to the good night's rest she had.

The room around her was illuminated by the bright sunlight that filtered in from a window, clearly showing the transition between night and day. By process of deduction, one could guess that she'd stayed a while, but to be completely sure of how long, it would be wise to ask the woman.

She had not noticed it before, but the soothing voice belonged to someone. That someone now stood with a back to her, dressed in dun-colored robes draped over a slight, yet sturdy, figure. A swath of dark-colored, close cropped hair shot with gray sat atop her head. When she turned around, her face was wise and knowing, like a stern grandmother's. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth certainly made her look like one. But her eyes were the most enchanting; round in shape and heavy-lidded, they were a striking yellow with large black pupils. Almost like...almost like a bird.

"Does that happen to you often?" the woman asked as she knelt down again beside her with a bowl of fresh water.

It took her a while, after she drank, to remember that she had been paralyzed only a moment before. "Sometimes when I wake up," she explained, "but mostly when I'm experiencing a headache."

"I see." The woman continued sitting beside her, wise bird-eyes staring straight through to her soul.

"Scientifically, it's a phase of disrupted REM sleep that can be linked to disorders such as narcolepsy, migraines, and anxiety disorders," she explained, "although it can occur in isolation. In my case, it was the migraines. They call it sleep paralysis." She blinked several times, trying to figure out why she was telling this woman all that information. "But _bóng đè_ is the name I'm more familiar with...it literally means, 'shadow pressing'." She hugged herself protectively. "If I hadn't been awakened...I would have lost my soul to the shade sitting on me."

Something like amusement passed through the wise woman's face. "I see," she repeated. "It's interesting that I should overlook such a second guest. I usually remember whoever comes by here; after all, I am not frequently visited."

A blush formed on the girl's face. "Oh, I was just repeating what I heard from my elders. I didn't mean there really was a shade or ghost in here."

The woman rose again, taking the bowl with her. "So what side do you believe? The '_scientific_' one"-'scientific' was given an unfamiliar emphasis-"or your elders?"

"Well..." Now that was a hard question. "Both, I guess."

Silence.

She explained further as she began to tidy up her sleeping space. "Both, because it's not always ghosts and spirits or otherworldly things that are doing it. It is as much a result of migraines, like the ones I have, as well as occult forces."

"So you believe in beings other than your own?"

A pause. "As in, spiritual beings?" The tidying resumed. "Yes, I do."

When that was done, the girl rose up and assessed herself from bottom to top. She was wearing what she had been wearing previously, as she knew it; a black short sleeved T-Shirt with the word _LOVE _printed in big pink letters, long black pajama bottoms with Paul Frank monkey heads dotted all over, and a stone gray hooded jacket. Her past shoulder-length hair was messed up from her sleep, but not so much that it looked horrific. At least that's what it felt like.

"Go freshen yourself by the lake shore," the woman instructed as she turned her back once more to chop something up. A vegetable, perhaps. "While you go do that, fill this pot with water and hang it over the fire when you come back."

The woman pointed to a small pot that sat beside her on the counter where she was chopping...whatever it was. The girl took it and left through the open door. To her surprise, there was no solid ground or stairsteps to put her feet on but a single, narrow, and perilous-looking board bridge breaching the gap of the doorstep and lake edge. With a sweeping look around her, the girl could see that the cottage was situated on top of a section of a lake, raised by two wooden stilts. Holding the pot firmly in her hand, she made her tentative way down the board bridge, anxious not to drop into the lake itself.

Within moments, her bare feet touched the grassy ground of the lake's edge. She felt like collapsing where she stood, so shaky and relieved did she feel in crossing that bridge. There were more outrageous bridges built in the world, though, such as the palm tree bridges of the Vietnamese countryside. Literally made from fallen palm trees, that was all they were with no handrails or any support. And yet little village children ran to and fro on these bridges as if they were completely normal. So the wise woman's board bridge was really not alone in its treacherous thinness.

With her wits regained, the girl sidled down to the lake shore and put the pot aside to cup some water in her hands and splash it over her face. When the ripples waned, the lake surface reflected her face right back at her; a sore and tired and miserable face; with her hair looking messier than she thought it would be. Her fingers dipped into the water again and then came back up to act as combs, straightening the tangled black strands and smoothing uneven places. Soon enough she looked more civilized than she'd done before, and after swishing a bit of water in her mouth she certainly felt that way.

But she had not forgotten her duty. She took the pot back in her hands and lowered it down into a slightly deeper spot in the lake, so that she wouldn't catch in any upraised mud or dirt, and having filled it to her satisfaction, drew out to rush it back into the cottage. It was another journey on the narrow board bridge again before reaching the safer destination of the lake cottage.

It took little thinking to figure out where the fire was; it sat right there in the room, set in a deep well with a hooked chain hovering above. The girl crossed over to hang the pot on the chain, and watched as its weight slumped so that the pot's bottom would be close to the fire's heat. There was little smoke, if any, in the burning embers, and so with a concerned movement she took up a nearby stick to poke them and see if she could stir it up somehow. A few flames grew higher, but the smoke was still moderate. Hmm. She turned away and crossed back over to the wise woman.

"Is there anything else I could do to help?" she asked politely.

The woman's head turned to give her a yellow, sidelong glance. "No. You may rest now. When the water is boiling, I will add these herbs to it to make a soup. I'd rather you have some of that first before you go on to consuming solid food; it would be better for your stomach."

The girl nodded. "I know." But that was such a hard thing to acknowledge, especially when her stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit. Either way, she obediently sat down on her bedding.

The woman seemed to finish her business as well and came over while wiping her hands. "You must have many questions to ask me, young one."

The girl paused, and then said, "Yes...I do."

"Well?"

She was silent for a while, until she frowned. "How did I get here? I don't remember being near a lake." A sudden flash of memory seared her mind. "No, wait, I was; but not this lake. I should know, the other lake was more wide and spacious. This one is surrounded by trees on all sides, like in a forest."

The wise woman sat on a stool. "I found you around the vicinity of the lake, unconscious and bruised."

The girl instinctively remembered her back, and with a small touch, felt the bruises the woman mentioned. "Did you see anyone besides me?"

"No. You were alone and already in that state, for quite a while, it seemed."

Another pause. "Did I bring anything with me?"

The woman turned her head to a corner in the room, and the girl's gaze followed. "Your satchel, boots, and socks, and that's all," the woman said.

"How long was I here?"

"Since midday of yesterday."

The girl bit her lip nervously. "Has anyone come to find me?"

"Are you afraid of being found?"

"No...I was just wondering."

"No," the woman replied at last. "As I said, I don't get many visitors, so I would remember if I had any."

"Right." The girl nodded. She began searching her mind for any further questions, but couldn't find any beside the one she started to ask. "Who are you?"

The woman did not answer right away. She did what looked like smoothing out her robes and probing the girl with her eyes before speaking again. "My name is Geloë. I am known as either Valada Geloë or the witch woman, whichever you prefer to use. I live alone out on this lake, as I have for many a long time." Her bird-eyes narrowed down on the girl. "And you?"

She fidgeted uneasily, suddenly unnerved by Geloë's stare. "My name is Quang Hồ Diễm Anh, but I mostly go by my nickname 'Ahnnie'. In my culture, a person's last name goes before the first name, so my family name would be Quang, my mother's maiden name Hồ, my middle name Diễm, and then my first name, Anh. I...I can't say what exactly I was before I came here. A student, perhaps, if that can qualify as an occupation. I've been so ever since I was four. I'm going to graduate by the end of this year, but-" She was going much too far of the topic. "-well, I'm seventeen years old and will be eighteen this June."

"June?" the valada interrupted. "I have never heard of such a month."

Ahnnie blinked. "But, it's part of the other twelve months...January, February, March, April, May, _June, _July..."

"I've never heard of those, either," Geloë insisted. "And that was only seven."

"...August, September, October, November, December," Ahnnie finished. "I suppose you haven't heard of those either?"

The valada shook her knowing head. "No. But I do think that they are a variation of the months known here. It took me a while to think about it, but in this place the months are known as, in order: Jonever, Feyever, Marris, Avrel, Maia, Yuven, Tiyagar, Anitul, Septander, Octander, Novander, and Decander. Quite similar to your months, are they not? Just with different pronunciations."

"H-huh?" Ahnnie was confused. "So then...January is Jonever, February is Feyever, and March is Marris..." But she was beginning to see the connection now. "So you're saying, I will be eighteen in Yuven here?"

Geloë nodded. "Exactly."

The girl let out a long breath. "Whoa..." She quickly recovered to ask the valada more questions. "Then the names of the week? Are they the same? I know them as Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday."

"Sunday, Moonday, Tiasday, Udunsday, Drorsday, Frayday, and Satrinsday." The reply came out as smooth and natural as if it were the most normal thing to say, ever.

Ahnnie was about to approach the subject of holidays, but checked herself before she went way, way off topic. There would be time for that later. But for now..."I'm in a different world?"

"You did seem foreign," the valada admitted. "Perhaps more than just from-another-country-foreign. I felt something different about you, and your magic."

"You know I have magic?" She suddenly slinked away, as if the valada were poisonous.

But Geloë seemed undaunted by the gesture, and didn't even try to reassure her. "I felt it when I carried you inside yesterday. I can feel these kinds of things, you know; and seeing as I can, that doesn't make me any different than you."

The statement was harsh, in an almost in-your-face kind of way. "Right," Ahnnie relented. "I'm sorry. It's just that not many people know of magic, where I come from."

"I understand."

"So this world has people who don't know it?"

"Not exactly." Geloë's eyes seemed to take on a distant look. "It is known, but not welcomed. As a result, not many people are learned in its ways. You do understand?"

"Of course," Ahnnie said. "It used to be that way in my world, after all, until it became dismissed as nothing but fiction."

"Hmm." The valada turned to look away elsewhere. "It seems that knowledge such as ours is doomed to be an insignificant force, no matter what world it comes from." After a while of silence, her bird-eyes turned upon Ahnnie again and she said, "The pot is boiling."

Ahnnie looked back in the direction of the fire pit, and crawled closer until she could see the pot. "Yes, it is. Should we put in the herbs now?"

Geloë nodded, and walked back over to the counter where she had been chopping. As she came around, she held a large strainer and a bowl of dismembered, leafy herbs in each hand. Ahnnie watched as she lowered the strainer into the pot first, and then dumped the herbs within. The result was a steadily growing musky smell, a mix between the nulled fragrance of flowers, mushroom soup, and pungent medicine. It was not altogether unpleasant, though, and made Ahnnie's mouth water.

"We will take the herbs back out once it's finished," Geloë explained, indicating the handle of the strainer. "It makes for a better looking soup."

Ahnnie listened to her as she watched the water in the pot grow darker and darker, like the color of tea. "Mm-hmm," she agreed absentmindedly. Then, "No meat?"

Geloë watched her curiously. "Do you see any here?"

The girl looked around the room with her dark brown eyes. She had not noticed it before, but the valada's house; which seemed to be only a single, large room; was filled with curious oddities as one would find in an apothecary, such as dried herbs, jars containing strange things, and rows of little animal skulls. A certain side of was devoted to writing, as indicated by the scrolls and parchments and animal skull-inkwell, although it would have been hard for a normal person to see that as it was so cluttered with colorful stones, animal pelts, bundles of sticks and bones, and made of frame-stretched bark than wood.

"No," she said at last. "I didn't mean it that way. I'm just used to seeing my mother make soup with meat, most preferably with marrow bones."

Geloë gave her another curious look, and then bent down to stir up the embers in the pit. "Bring me some more wood," she commanded.

Ahnnie did as she was told, having picked the wood from a pile stacked neatly against a wall, and watched as the fires licked them up hungrily. "Is there anything else?"

"For now, no." The valada straightened up and suddenly crossed over to a wall by the door, picking up a cloak. "Watch it for several minutes until the herbs have been drained of all their juice. It should not be too long, since I put them in when the water boiled. When it's done, lower the fires and help yourself to a bowl."

Ahnnie scrambled to stand. "You sound like you're going somewhere..."

"Don't worry, young one. I'm only going for a small errand. I should be back before sunset; until then, I believe you can take care of yourself."

The girl was speechless for a moment as she watched Geloë don the cloak. A small basket was then clutched in her long, talon-like fingers. It appeared that the valada was going to pick something in the forest. "Shouldn't you eat something before you go?" Ahnnie asked.

"I have already eaten," was the reply.

"Can't I go with you?"

Geloë's bird-eyes narrowed. "Would that you could, but you cannot. You must rest. Watch my house while I am gone, for I might be expecting other visitors. Who knows? This world can be sudden." And then she was gone in a swirl of cloak-and-robe, almost like a bird taking off in flight. The last Ahnnie saw of her was her receding form down the board bridge and then into the forest...and then, nothing.

_Valada Geloë_, Ahnnie thought as she stood in the doorway, and then slipped back inside to watch over the soup.

* * *

It was near evening when the valada returned, around an hour before dark. A little before that, a wolf had come bounding through the doorway.

"Aah!" Ahnnie screamed at the sight of the gray canine. She sat horrified for only a few seconds before jumping onto her feet and clapping her hands loudly. "Back, back! Away!" She successfully made it freeze in place with all her shouting, although she elicited a growl when she grabbed a nearby stick about yard long and waved it at the wolf. "Shoo! Go, _go!_"

The wolf flattened its ears and bared its fangs, a surefire sign of its desire to retaliate. The fur along its neck bristled with anger, and the deep, throaty growl filled the space of the cottage. A bloody paw was raised, however, in a sort of a limp, showing that it wasn't as strong as it showed itself to be. Ready to take that limp to her advantage, Ahnnie drew back the stick in a position ready to thwack the thing senseless if necessary.

"_Stop!_" a voice shouted. It was Geloë.

It was amazing how authority-like the witch woman sounded. Whether it was because of her deep voice or strange accent, it was hard to tell. But it was condescending all the same, and it made the both of them stop what they were doing and swivel their heads in the direction of the doorway. There she was, although she looked as though she had gone through a particularly thin wall of branches. Twigs and leaves were stuck in her cloak from hood to bottom. Her robe was safe, though, as she revealed when she took off the cloak and hung it back in its old place.

"Valada Geloë," Ahnnie protested, "that wolf suddenly came into the house!"

"That wolf is a friend," Geloë corrected as she put the basket, now full of leaves and moss and flowers, down. She presently turned around and gestured with a hand outstretched to the wolf, clicking softly with her tongue. "_Ninit, _Qantaqa."

The wolf instantly sprang back to normal, ears attentively pointed and neck-fur smoothened down, oh, and tail waving, as it came forward to sniff the valada's hand.

"Oh..." Ahnnie put the stick back down in shame. "I'm sorry. I hadn't realized." She let the stick rest against a wall and came closer to Geloë and Qantaqa. "Um, it's hurt..."

Upon closer inspection, it was not only Qantaqa's right paw that was injured but her face and muzzle as well. Small cuts criss-crossed the coat of gray fur, making red patterns that were steadily dripping. Some blood was also present on her side and left flank, although it did not belong to her. Seeing this, Ahnnie came to the conclusion that it had been in a fight.

"_She_'s hurt," Geloë corrected again, "and we will tend to her. Come, fetch me a bowl of water."

Ahnnie grabbed a random bowl, ran out to the lakeside, and reentered trying to keep it from sloshing onto the floor.

"Now, that rag. Quickly."

Five seconds and it was done. Ahnnie sat by the valada, rather close to the wolf, but knowing it was a friend, she was not afraid. Without further ado, she began to dip the rag into the water and then strained it before holding it up. "Which place first?" she asked.

"Her face," the valada instructed.

Ahnnie held out a hand for the wolf to sniff first, and then an "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you", and after receiving a lick from the big tongue held Qantaqa's chin with her free hand to keep the wolf's head still. She had rather surprised the canine at first with the touch of the wet rag, but the wolf gradually grew used to it; at least, enough to not bite her hand off.

Next came the foot, which when cleaned was bound by the valada with some gauze and a pasty poultice of some herbs. After that, Geloë had Ahnnie clean the rest of the blood on the wolf's body until not a spot of red was present on the canine.

The valada sat back, and then rose to her feet. "That should be all for now," she said. "All that is left, is to wait."

"For what?" Ahnnie asked while putting away the bowl and poultice jar.

"For who, actually," Geloë corrected her for the third time. "Qantaqa doesn't belong to me, after all." She noticed Ahnnie's movements from the corner of her eye and suddenly said, "Don't put those away yet; we might have use of them. If Qantaqa has been in that bad of a fight, we can expect her owner to be the same or close."

"But how do you know if he'll come?" Ahnnie put the things back on the floor where they had been, only more to the side so that they wouldn't be obstructive. "If Qantaqa's wounded that bad...what if he's..."

"He will come," the valada insisted. "And with others. Prepare yourself."

Ahnnie decided not to question her anymore, seeing how she was intent on believing that Qantaqa's friends would arrive.

Moments passed, and each person (and wolf) went on to doing her own thing. Ahnnie settled back on her bedding to search through her satchel, which she had recovered when the valada was out in the forest. Everything was in place, and the extra-dimensional spell that expanded its insides was still working well. She was still barefoot, though, as her boots and the socks stuffed within had laid untouched for most of the day.

Geloë was pacing about the shelves, seemingly lost in her browsing, and Qantaqa lay lazily by the fire with her head on her crossed paws. Nothing much seemed to be happening; and it was becoming nighttime; so Ahnnie contemplated sleep, even though her stomach was empty (the soup had not been very filling, and she didn't think it would be even if she had another bowl right then). It must have been an hour already, although it seemed like more.

But then suddenly, Qantaqa's ears pricked up again and her head rose. Geloë noticed the movement and looked at the wolf, watching her even as she suddenly dashed out of the doorway regardless of the two people inside.

Ahnnie was puzzled by Qantaqa's rush, and looked to Geloë for an answer. "Shouldn't we call her back in?" she asked.

"No need," the valada said as she came over to the doorway. "She will come back in soon...and with company."

The girl rose from her bedding and went to stand beside Geloë. There didn't seem to be anything different, although some foliage was being rustled at the edge of the forest. Something was coming, and it was coming out near a stream exit to the lake.

"Do you think it could be..." But Ahnnie's question wasn't finished, for the valada had suddenly disappeared. Again, for some reason, she felt like a bird had taken up into flight. Ahnnie ran out along the board bridge, about a foot out, to spy the valada's whereabouts around the lake. Something like an owl was circling the expanse of water, going around twice before gracefully sliding into the doorway. Ahnnie had to lean back to avoid being thrashed by its wings, and nearly fell into the lake doing so. _First a wolf, and now an owl..._Ahnnie didn't know how she was going to explain the animals to Geloë anymore.

But to her amazement, the owl was no regular owl; it was Geloë herself! Ahnnie had watched as the bird stood in the middle of the room and then reappeared as the wise woman she had come to know.

The befuddled girl ran inside from the board bridge. "Valada Geloë, you-"

The witch woman held a finger to her lips. "Not a word of this to our visitors, please."

Ahnnie nodded silently.

And then, the visitors came.


	2. Chapter 2

Oh, and I do not own _The Dragonbone Chair _or its characters. Tad Williams does.

But I do certainly own the OC's!

* * *

The valada crossed over to the doorway, standing so that she would be visible to whoever came close to the house. Ahnnie was still on the bridge until she realized she would be blocking the peoples' way and scurried back inside. From the corner of her eye, she saw Qantaqa rush out from the rim of the lake to greet a little person or child coming down from the forest. Some shouting was heard, possibly from the little person, as he met with the happy wolf.

Ahnnie's view of the visitors was blocked as Geloë placed her body directly in the doorway, small snatches of dark grass and trees being all that Ahnnie saw beyond the valada's dun robes. With a small shrug of resignation, the girl went about preparing a few pallets and more bedding as she saw fit. It was dark, and it didn't look as though these visitors would have a short stay. She also worked on setting some bowls by the fire, and heating up the soup. That is, if they would care to have any. It was a bitter and tangy brew, quite refreshing, but not exactly the best of all soups.

"Valada Geloë," a man's voice greeted from the doorway. It was strangely high for a man, but not so high that its gender was indiscernible. It made Ahnnie think of the little person that ran down to meet the wolf. "Binbines Mintahoqis requests your aid." He had an accent, too, but different from Geloë's. "I bring travelers."

The valada stepped back to allow them room to enter. "Spare me the Nabbanai constructions, Binabik. I knew it was you. Qantaqa had been here an hour." At the end of the board bridge, Qantaqa's ears pricked up in recognition of her name. "Of course you are welcome. Do you think I would deny you?"

Ahnnie watched them as they entered. First, the little man in the furs, dark-skinned with a thatch of thick black hair. His face was small and almost childish except for the certain adult hardness it seemed to have, especially in his cheekbones. He was the Binabik Geloë spoke to.

Then a tall and gangly youth with strikingly red hair, lighter skinned than Binabik, walked in cradling a bloody little dark haired girl. He had clumsily bumped his shoulder on the valada's, but too gently perhaps to even notice. "Where shall I put the little girl?" he asked as he came in, and this time unlike the others he had a recognizable accent that to Ahnnie sounded faintly English.

Without a word, she quickly pulled up a pallet from the floor for the boy to put the injured girl in, but he seemed too mesmerized by Geloë's stare to even move. Seeing that, Ahnnie stood up and gently coaxed the girl out of his arms. He snapped out of his reverie slightly, but not enough to completely notice her.

"Here, let me take her for you," Ahnnie said. There was not much struggle or protest and the girl slipped smoothly into her arms.

When Ahnnie was bending down to put the child in the straw pallet, Geloë's eyes flicked momentarily to her and she muttered, "This child is hurt."

"She has been attacked by dogs," Binabik explained. "Dogs with the brand of Stormspike."

The way he said 'Stormspike' left an ominous note in the air. Ahnnie guessed that it was a bad thing, either an organization or evil location of some sort, or even the name of someone unpleasant.

Geloë was unfazed, and pushed past Ahnnie to kneel down beside the unconscious girl. "Find food if you are hungry," she told Binabik. "I must work now. Were you followed?"

"We believe so. We found the girl and a boy cornered by a white dog in a tree, just after being attacked by a few of these dogs ourselves," Binabik began. Then he proceeded to tell of how Qantaqa fought the wolf and how he and Simon, for that was the red haired youth's name, helped Malachias, the boy, and Leleth, the injured girl, down the tree and then up a rocky outcropping as the sound of a huntsman's horn denoting that more people and dogs would be coming rang through the forest. Qantaqa had been sent away a little after they made it down the tree, so she wasn't with them as they waited atop the rock, listening to the voices. Apparently, Malachias and Leleth had been the prisoners of the mounted hunting men, a baron named Heahferth and his men with some hunter named Ingen Jegger. But they were confused with the real people a King Elias was hunting, or person, and that person was Simon.

Geloë listened while undressing Leleth to assess her wounds, and at around this time Malachias came in. He was near Ahnnie's height, possibly taller, wearing a thick shirt with a hood about his fox-like face. A small thatch of choppy dark hair almost hung down to his eyes. He silently moved to sit beside the valada and watch her tend to the young girl.

Then Binabik, having finished his story, shuffled away to poke at the fire. As he did so, Ahnnie couldn't help but notice how his eyes flicked towards her from time to time.

She pretended not to notice and peered into the pot, which was beginning to boil. "The soup is almost ready," she said. "Are you hungry?"

The little man nodded with a toothy smile. "Very much so." After a little pause, he asked, "So, you are a guest of Valada Geloë's also?"

Ahnnie returned his smile with a grin of her own. "Ah, yes, I am. I arrived yesterday, but not very peacefully, I'm afraid." She gave an apologetic chuckle. "I was knocked out with bruises when she found me. I can't exactly remember...but I'm sure I was in a fight, or something like it."

There was something like apprehension in Binabik's eyes, but either way, he nodded sternly. "It is good, then, that the valada found you. Have you been resting well?"

"Yes, I have."

He nodded most cordially, but something else seemed to be tugging at his mind. "Where are you from, originally?" She knew he'd ask that one. "Pardon me, but...I have never seen anyone quite like you."

_Quite like me? _"What do you mean?"

Binabik gave her a sheepish smile. "I am not meaning to offend, but you look different. Are you from Wran, perhaps?"

There was some silence for a while before Ahnnie asked again: "Do Wran people look like me?"

"A little darker, to be truthful, but close enough."

"Um...no, I am not...Wran. I'm Vietnamese."

The word seemed to strike the little man dumb, for he simply stared at her with confused brown eyes until the boiling and bubbling of the pot snapped him back into reality. "Ah, the soup is ready." He gave her a small, toothy grin, and reached for the ladle. She calmly raced him to it and swiftly beat him.

"No, please rest. I'll do it for you," she explained.

"Hmm," Binabik remarked as he watched her pour the herbal broth into each of their bowls. "Thank you...?"

It took Ahnnie a while before she noticed that the last questioning tilt on the 'you' was an inquiry about her name. "Oh. Quang Hồ Diễm Anh, but you may call me by my nickname, Ahnnie. In my culture last names go first so..." She gave him the same explanation she gave to Geloë earlier, and was pleased to see the attentive look he adopted when he listened to her.

"Thank you, Ahnnie," he said, finishing his earlier sentence. He proceeded to take a filled bowl and walked over to the red haired youth, who was standing absentmindedly by a window. "Ahnnie here has warmed up some soup," Binabik told him as he gave him the bowl. "I have need of it myself, and so do you and everyone else. I hope to never have another day the like of this. Come, sit by the fire with us."

When Simon arrived at the fire, Ahnnie had already gotten up to offer a bowl to Malachias. The boy had been shooed off to sit against a wall by Geloë earlier, and there he stayed even as he drank his soup. Though she entreated him to come and join them, he would not budge or speak; he simply shook his head, and continued sitting by that wall even when she left. It seemed rather pointless to even offer any to Geloë, as she was so engrossed in her work that it seemed the slightest interruption might accidentally undo everything.

"It seems it's just the three of us," Ahnnie remarked as she sat down to her own bowl. She smiled cordially at Simon, hoping to make him feel invited. "I'm Ahnnie, nice to meet you. How is it? The soup, I mean."

The boy blew on the hot liquid in his bowl and carefully took a sip. He stayed quiet for a few moments before mumbling, "It's good. What is it?"

"Oh...I, uh...didn't ask," Ahnnie replied truthfully.

"Better that you are not asking, perhaps," Binabik teased. The way he said it, though, neither of them could be sure whether he was serious or not.

From where she knelt, Geloë reprimanded him. "Stop that, troll, you'll give the boy stomach pains. Honeylock, dandelion, and stonegrass is all that's in it, boy."

"Apologies, Valada," the troll said, chastened.

"Wait, troll?" Ahnnie began to ask, confusedly. But no one seemed to hear her.

"I like it," Simon protested. "Thank you for taking us in. My name is Simon."

"Ah," was all Geloë cared to show about what she thought of his introduction.

Ahnnie frowned. "Hold on a moment." She arrested both Binabik and Simon's attention. "Why did Valada Geloë call you a _troll_? Is that your nickname?"

Simon, who had worked to quickly finish his bowl of broth, simply sat in silence as he handed it over to Binabik for seconds. The little man waited until he finished refilling and handing back the bowl before speaking.

"It is just a name given to my people," Binabik explained. "By the Rimmersgarders especially, but we are more formally known as the Qanuc of high Yiqanuc in the mountains."

"Oh." Ahnnie took a sip at her broth. "I was a little alarmed at first."

"Why? Is 'troll' having a different meaning in your culture?"

"Not my culture, essentially, but...well, where I live, it is the name of a type of tough, green leather-skinned monster that is resistent to decapitation." She shamefully looked away as she finished saying it, turning instead to pour herself some more soup.

Instead of offence, though, the troll seemed to be amused. In fact, he let out a great laugh that startled even Malachias. Simon too was hiding his face behind his bowl, although she could tell the effort was straining him.

"Oh ho!" Binabik exclaimed, finishing his laugh. "And is that what so alarmed you? Fear not, my kin have been alikened to worse!" He took a hearty swig at his soup. "Still, though, I am curious about where you live. I have not as yet heard of these green trolls, and that is perhaps saying something, not to be bragging. Is it far?"

The girl was quite hard-put to even describe it. Binabik seemed at least a smidgen wise, but Simon was just a youth and Malachias looked as though he'd ridden out of his worst nightmare.

"Perhaps another time," she said at last. "It is a long, long story. It should be told at a more...convenient time."

Geloë aimed a sidelong, bird-eyed look at the black haired girl, but turned away in time to make it seem like a harmless, curious glance. In truth, though, she knew Ahnnie was hiding something that the both of them shared earlier in the day. But as if telling people you were from another world was that easy!

Binabik nodded, and continued at his soup. Ahnnie, having finished her seconds, decided that to be food enough and went to refill Malachias' bowl. Simon watched her movements carefully, trying not to seem like he was staring, but she knew it all too well. It was no secret that the three in the room, short of Leleth who was unconscious, found her to be quite if not very strange. Black hair, light yellow skin, slightly rounded features...did that look like anyone in Osten Ard?

Eventually, the room sank to idleness. As Valada Geloë continued tending to Leleth's wounds, Malachias continued to look on from his lonely spot. Binabik ran short, stubby fingers through Qantaqa's thick coat, throwing out burrs and sticks caught in her fur in an effort to groom her. Simon, unnerved by the still silence, fidgeted himself over to another corner of wall while Ahnnie simply tended to the embers remaining in the fire pit. The pot of soup had been finished without a drop, and had been washed along with the bowls by her down at the lake shore, so the chain hung empty.

_How I wish I had a book here, _Ahnnie thought wistfully as she watched the glowing ashes.

* * *

It was rather late into the night that the valada's hand shook her shoulder once more. Ahnnie was startled, at first, thinking that maybe she'd done something wrong. Then as her eyes opened up to the dim firelight, the musky orange color it gave reminding her of sharpy scented oils, she remembered where she was and rose herself up on her elbows. "Yes, Valada?" she asked sleepily.

"Come here," Geloë entreated her in hushed tones. "There is something I need to speak with you...and Binabik...about."

As Ahnnie pushed the blanket off and stood away from the bedding, she noticed the troll sitting beneath a high stool, focused on some stitching. She picked her way across Simon's sleeping body and sat on the floor opposite from the troll. Behind the stool, she could see, were Malachias' and Leleth's slumbering forms.

Ahnnie was about to inquire after Leleth's condition when Geloë perched on the stool as suddenly as a bird.

"There is no doubt that strange things have been happening as of late," the witch woman began. "Even here, in my remote lake dwelling, I have felt them...odd tidings...mixed messages. It is evident even in the weather, that not even a fool could miss it."

She proceeded to tell the girl of the current situation of the land; of the country of Erkynland, where the High King resided in the Hayholt Castle of Erchester. Of the King John Presbyter's death, and the rising to the throne of his eldest son, Elias; of Elias' rivalry between he and his younger brother, Josua. Of Pryrates, the evil wizard priest standing councilor to Elias at this very moment, poisoning his mind with dark words. Of the mysterious troubles that plagued everybody after Elias took the throne. Of Simon's plight from the Hayholt, where he had been a mere scullery boy. And then of his and Binabik's journey together, up until the present. All this, she had said, was information given to her by Binabik himself. The troll nodded grimly in affirmation, saying not a word.

But now that she mentioned it, Ahnnie did seem to think that the weather outside was a bit cold for its month; whatever month that was.

"You probably don't know," the valada addressed Ahnnie, "but here it is well into Maia-month. And yet we have an ongoing winter."

"May?" Ahnnie asked out of impulse. "Winter in May? Well, it has snowed in July once..." The valada's eyes shone sternly into hers, and Ahnnie quickly strove to correct herself. "I mean, snowed in Tiyagar, once. But that was where I came from," she quickly added to assuage Binabik's confusion.

The valada sighed, and lowered her eyelids. When they came back up, her yellow eyes seemed to shine in the dim light. "Ahnnie, there is no need to hide. Binabik, though he might not be what you consider exactly as yourself, is openminded and very knowledgeable. He was taught by a wise man, and carries on that man's tradition. Speak plainly before him, and in time I believe you may do so before Simon and the rest."

There was a small silence that was interrupted by Ahnnie's nodding. "Yes...I understand. I'm sorry, Binabik," she apologized.

"No, no need to apologize," he quickly said. "We are all friends here."

The girl smiled. "Thank you. Anyway, the truth is..." She couldn't help but pause; it was, after all, a hard thing to say. "...I am not of this world. I have fallen in from another." Her dark brown eyes bore into Binabik's, who met their stare without backing down. "This is no lie. I wish it were, but it isn't. I, too, sensed it myself when I woke in the Valada's house. You see, I have the ability to sense that kind of thing...I am a stranger here, a complete stranger, just not...unarmed, as you might put it." She looked away.

"I see..." The troll grew thoughtful.

"I can't remember exactly how I came here, or what I was doing exactly before," she continued. "I know that that last part would be crucial but I just can't summon it into my memory at the moment. Perhaps that is somehow...fate, in a way. I was meant to come here?" She shrugged rather helplessly.

"Has this been happening to you before?" Binabik asked.

"No."

"Maybe, then, you were meant to come," he answered her.

"And," Geloë interrupted, "at quite a coincidental time. Our world is changing, for the worse, I fear. This girl's arrival is perhaps a message of some sort, but you, Binabik...acting so reckless. Going off on your own without Ookequk, and throwing you and that boy headlong into a dangerous adventure with Nornhounds on your trail. Goodness knows what you've gotten into."

The troll's face split into a mischevious smile. "If one doesn't use one's wits to be clever, nothing shall be done."

"It doesn't matter whether you were clever or not, young Binabik," Geloë said. "You have been lucky, which is a better thing."

Ahnnie then felt movement behind her. She turned around to see what it was; contrary to her former belief, it wasn't Qantaqa (who was dozing on her back rather comfortably by the fire) but Simon. It looked like he was stirring in his sleep. _Looked like, _though. She could tell, by the actions his dark silhouette made, that he was waking.

"How is the little girl?" the red haired boy proceeded to ask with a yawn.

"Knew it," Ahnnie said under her breath.

Geloë had been prepared, however, partly because she'd felt it and partly because she'd seen Ahnnie move to look at him. "Very bad. Badly wounded and feverish. The Nornhounds...well, it is not good to be bitten. They eat unclean flesh."

"The valada has done all things that can be done, Simon," Binabik quipped, now dropping the previous conversation and continuing on his stitching. Ahnnie leaned in to look, and caught sight of a quarter-finished skin pouch.

"Did you tell her..." Simon paused, and looked cautiously at Ahnnie. "Did you tell her about Morgenes?"

"I already knew," Geloë interjected. She turned her bird-eyed stare on him. "You were with him, boy. I know your name, and I felt Morgenes' mark upon you when you bumped into me as you entered."

"You knew my name?" He sounded awestruck.

"Where the doctor is concerned, I know many things." She leaned over to poke the fire, and her yellow eyes seemed to blaze as they reflected the light. "A great man has been lost, a man we can ill afford to lose."

Simon began to crawl over, plopping himself down by Binabik once he finished. "What do you mean?" he asked. "That is, what does _we_ mean?" Then, after a moment's thought, he asked, "Is she, um...can she listen...to this?"

Ahnnie realized he meant her.

"Hm?" Binabik looked up from his stitching. "Oh, why yes she can. She is of no bother, and might even prove to be a help, soon."

"_We _means all of us," Geloë continued undeterred. "_We _means: those who do not welcome darkness."

"I have told Geloë what has happened to us, friend Simon," Binabik added quietly. "And Geloë has told Ahnnie. There is no secret that I have few explanations."

Simon frowned, his face still sleep-weary. "But why tell it to Ahnnie? We barely even know her."

"As I said, there is no secret that I have few explanations," Binabik repeated.

And Geloë, with a wry look on her face, pulled her robe closer about her. "And I have none to add...yet. It is clear to me now, however, that the weather signs I have seen even here on my isolated lake, the north-flying geese that should have gone clattering overhead a fortnight ago, all of the things that have given me pause in this strange season; they are real; and the change they augur is real, also. Terribly real." She dropped her hands into her lap and stared at them a while before continuing. "Binabik is right. This is far more than the striving of a king and his brother. The contendings of kings can beat down the land, can uproot trees and bathe the fields in blood..."

A log collapsed in the fire and popped as it made sparks. Simon jumped at the noise, so enraptured was he in Geloë's powerful words. Ahnnie glanced at him briefly and continued to look up at the valada.

"...but the wars of men do not bring black clouds from the north," the witch woman went on, "or send the hungry bears back to their dens in Maia-month."

_If bears here are going back into hibernation even in May, _Ahnnie thought, _this world might truly be at a most dangerous edge. Gods, what has King Elias gotten everyone into? And how? He couldn't have done that with only Pryrates to help him, surely? Geloë said so, too, that this was more than just a royal squabble. So what...what is causing all this? _

But then Geloë stood up to stretch, putting a rather disappointing and yet welcoming end to the cryptic conversation they were having. "Tomorrow I will try and find some answers for you," she said. "Now all should sleep while they can, for I fear the child's fever will return strongly in the night."

Ahnnie nodded and bent her head in a small bow. "If you'll excuse me, then." Without much of a glance or peek at what Simon and Binabik were doing, she went back to her bedding and crawled comfortably into it, glad to have its warmth draw her into sleep once more. The talking had tired her, especially since it was done in the middle of the night. But it had enlightened her very much to the condition of this new world; which, she was unfortunate to say, did not sound very good.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Yêu nhau, cởi áo, ối à trao nhau _

_Về nhà, dối rằng cha dối mẹ ớ ơ _

_Rằng a ối a a qua cầu _

_Rằng a ối a a qua cầu _

_tình tình, tình gió bay _

_tình tình, tình gió bay..._"

The day was foggy and gray, casting a drab pall over the land even on the sky capping it. Ahnnie was out sitting on the board bridge, washing her hair with a dipper and a bowl of lake water. The bowl sat beside her as she scooped water into the dipper and let it cascade down her long black locks, little droplets like tiny crystal spheres beading at the ends and releasing themselves into the lake below.

"_Yêu nhau, cởi nhẫn, ối à trao nhau_

_Về nhà, dối rằng cha dối m__ẹ__ a a  
_

_Rằng a ối a a qua cầu_

_Rằng a ối a a qua cầu_

_tình tình, tình đánh rơi_

_tình tình, tình đánh rơi..._"

A jar of a fragrant, syrupy substance lay behind the bowl. This she had rubbed into her hair, which she was now rinsing out. It was an herbal caramelization of some fragrant as well as nutritional leaves that the valada had mixed earlier for her use. She even taught Ahnnie how to make it, so that now wherever she went, even in the vast Aldheorte Forest, she could have a good batch of natural shampoo readily made and stored at any time.

"_Yêu nhau, cởi nón, ối à cho nhau _

_Về nhà, dối rằng là cha dối mẹ..._

_Rằng a ối a a qua cầu_

_Rằng a ối a a qua cầu_

_tình tình, tình gió bay_

_tình tình, tình gió bay.._."

The folk song Ahnnie was singing was interrupted by the sudden thump-thump of footsteps on the wooden bridge. She swiftly turned her head, spraying droplets of water everywhere, the dipper held frozen midway.

"Do not be stopping because of me," Binabik said with a widening smile. "I am just going over for some water, to press over the child Leleth's forehead." True enough, he held the big wooden bowl Geloë used the other night to tend to Leleth's wounds and fever. "It is a good song," he remarked as he tiptoed carefully past her and down the bridge.

Ahnnie watched him, still washing her hair, but watching him all the same. His sudden intrusion silenced her, leaving the song frozen and unfinished on her tongue. She had always done her singing alone, in isolation, where no one could hear her. To have had someone listen to her...and then even compliment her...made her blush beyond embarrassment.

Binabik seemed to notice it and gave her a friendly chuckle. "Do not worry, I shall not be interrupting you anymore. Go on, please."

But even as he reentered, Ahnnie did not continue in her song. Instead, she finished up her hair-washing, dumped the water from the bowl, and carried that, the dipper, and herbal shampoo jar back into the house while also looking for something to dry her head off with.

She satisfied herself with a cloth she withdrew from her satchel and sat moments scrubbing and rubbing the wet black strands. Then, as she began to put that cloth away and start combing her hair, she allowed herself to fall in silently with the sounds of her surroundings, becoming a silent and observant being while the world around went on. Geloë had taken Malachias on an herb-picking journey earlier, so it was just her, Binabik, Simon, and Leleth in the house.

"Does she really have a chance to live?" Ahnnie heard Simon ask Binabik as the troll redressed Leleth's wounds.

"Geloë thinks she may," Binabik replied. "She is a woman of a stern and direct mind, who places people not above animals in her esteem, but that is still esteem most high. She would not struggle against the impossible, I am thinking."

"Is she really a witch woman like she said?"

_Poor, curious boy, _Ahnnie thought bemusedly as she realized just how much Simon seemed to love asking questions.

"A witch woman?" Binabik stood up as he heard Qantaqa come running onto the walkway, but still stayed focused on what he was saying. "A _wise _woman she certainly is, and a being of rare strength. In your tongue I understand 'witch' to mean a bad person, one who is of your Devil and does her neighbors harm. That the valada is certainly not. Her neighbors are the birds and forest dwellers, and she tends them like a flock. Still, she was leaving Rimmersgard many years ago; many, _many_ years ago; to come here. Possible it is that the people who once lived around her thought some nonsense as that...perhaps that was the cause of her coming to this lake."

"People where I come from would have done worse, and they certainly have," Ahnnie remarked, and Binabik nodded grimly in agreement.

"People are just not accepting of things they do not understand," the troll added. He turned aside for a moment to lavish some attention upon the insistent Qantaqa, who had rushed into the house to greet him, and then went out to fill the same soup pot from the night before with some lake water. He came back in to hook it on the chain, and Ahnnie already being finished with combing her hair came over to stoke up the fires. "You have known Malachias from the castle, Simon?" Binabik asked suddenly.

Simon, who had been busy staring after Qantaqa as she trotted back out to the lake, did not seem to hear. "Is she trying to catch fish?"

But Binabik was patient with him and nodded. "And catch them she can do, too. Malachias?"

"Oh, yes, I knew him there...a little. I caught him once, spying on me. He denied it, though. Did he speak to you? Did he tell you what he and his sister were doing in Aldheorte, and how they were captured?"

"More luck I would be having trying to teach a rock to sing." Binabik smiled mischievously at Ahnnie as she giggled at his sarcasm. He gestured for her to give him a nearby bowl of dried herbs, and when she did, took and crumbled some into the pot. A minty smell suddenly engulfed the room. "Five or six words I have heard from his mouth since we found them up in that tree," the troll said. "He remembers you, though. Several times I have seen him staring at you. I think he is not dangerous; in fact, I have a real sureness of it; but still, he is in need of watching."

"He is frightened," Ahnnie said. "Of course, who wouldn't be, if their little sister got that badly wounded? But haven't you noticed...something about him?"

Binabik looked up at her curiously. "Something?"

"You know...something strange?" Ahnnie made a vague, circling gesture with her hand, as if to encourage them to try to notice.

"Well, he spied on me back at the Hayholt," Simon said. "And I had not seem him before that time, either."

"So he wasn't a resident of the Hayholt," Ahnnie deduced. "He was perhaps someone arriving in along with the noble houses come to attend Elias' crowning, and that is probably the only possibility because the Hayholt did not become a refuge center until well into Elias' reign. There is a slight chance he could have been a visiting Erchester resident, but then you would have seen him a few times in the past, right? Especially if he had family working in the castle. Did you see him again, at all, after that incident?"

Simon looked like he was thinking hard. "Hmm...once or twice...but we never talked."

Binabik raised an eyebrow at her. "And how is this proving his strangeness?"

"I was just trying to get a clue," Ahnnie explained. "I am not sure how it's supposed to, anyway, but...there's just _something _about him...I've been feeling it all morning, after I watched him leave with the valada..."

They were interrupted by a brief but attentive bark from Qantaqa outside, and when Simon looked out the window he reported that the wolf and seen something and ran off into the mists toward whatever it was. But she soon reemerged, and this time with Geloë and Malachias accompanying her. What was strange, though, was that; and it was evident now to Binabik and Ahnnie, as the valada and the boy were coming closer to the door; both she and Malachias were...talking. A lot.

"Qinkipa!" Binabik exclaimed while stirring the contents of the pot. "Now he is speaking."

Geloë came in first, scraping her boots at the door and then shaking out her cloak. She was dressed for adventure today, as Ahnnie noticed with some approval; wool breeches, a jerkin, and sturdy boots. "Fog everywhere," the valada remarked. "The forest is sleepy today."

Malachias came in afterwards, suddenly on his guard again. His delicate-looking cheeks were colored, as if they had been blasted with a force of cold air.

"Is the water ready?" Geloë asked with calm impatience, like a battle commander.

"It is seeming to be," Binabik answered her after taking in a whiff of the brew.

"Good." The valada crossed over to the pot and, reaching into a small bag on her belt, pulled out a clump of dark green moss, still wet with dew. She dumped it into the pot and stirred it with the stick Binabik was using. "Malachias and I have been talking," she said as she stirred. "We have spoken of many things." She looked up at him, but the boy blushed and ducked instead, scooting away to sit by Leleth's pallet. The valada shrugged at this gesture. "Well, we shall speak when Malachias is ready. For now, we have enough tasks, anyway." Geloë stirred one last time before scooping out a glob of the dark moss on the end of her stirring stick, touching it, and then emptying the pot to put it all in a separate bowl. She then headed over to Malachias and Leleth where she and the boy started making poultices out of the moss.

Seeing that the cottage would fall to idleness once more, Simon exited the house, perhaps to get some fresh air by the lake. Ahnnie couldn't blame him; the herbal, leafy smells of the cottage could be overwhelming at times, and with all the recent events it would make sense to try and lose one's train of thought if only to find a little peace. She sighed and went back over to her bedding, where her satchel and boots lay. She hadn't gotten out of the cottage much either, so the boots and socks continued to lay in disuse. She pulled out her notebook and a pencil from inside her satchel and, leaning against the wall, began to draw.

But draw what? At first, she drew the first thing she saw, which was the pot on the fire. But then she attempted to draw Simon in the manga style, and then Binabik, and Leleth; and again, like it had been when she was singing, when the troll came curiously close she shut the notebook closed.

Binabik blinked in surprise, then looking rather hurt. Ahnnie softened and apologized to him. "I'm...I'm sorry," she began. "You startled me." She reopened her notebook again to the page where she was drawing so that he could see, but she was still uncomfortable with it.

The troll leaned in to look curiously, and his head tilted to the side. "Why are our eyes so large?" he asked.

"Oh, that is just the art style I'm using. It's a popular one where I come from."

Binabik nodded, although he still seemed dumbfounded. "It is peculiar, but I can quite see the appeal. I like the detail of the hair best; it is very realistic and beautiful."

Ahnnie blushed. "Th-thank you," she stuttered.

He smiled and continued staring at the page. After a while, he asked, "So that song you were singing this morning; is that a song of your language?"

"Yes...Vietnamese."

"What does it mean?"

Ahnnie leaned back thoughtfully. "Let me try to explain it. The title is _Qua Cầu Gió Bay_, which means 'The Wind Over the Bridge'. For a more literal, rough translation, it is 'Crossing the Bridge, the Wind Blows'. It is a folk song of sorts, about a girl who is in love. She exchanges some stuff with her lover: a jacket, a ring, and a hat, to express her feelings for him and when she comes home to her parents, she lies to them about losing those items saying when she crossed the bridge the wind carried the jacket and the hat away, and that she dropped the ring."

Binabik nodded. "Interesting," he said. "It was a very good song, too."

"A lot of culture can be expressed through song, can it?" she remarked. "It's a northern one, of the countryside. The difference is that the northern dialect has more _z__'_s and refined pronunciation on the _n_'s, unlike the south where northern _z_'s are replaced by 'yuh' or _r_ sounds, and the _n _is more _ng_. Most songs are sung in northern dialect because it sounds formal, except for folk and country songs, which retain the dialect of their place of origin."

"Oh, is that so? Are you a northerner, then, or a southerner?"

"Southern," she answered. "At least, that's the dialect I speak with at home. My mom told me I did have a mixing of northern blood, as my father is half-northern half-Chinese..." She knew she lost him at 'Chinese'. "Um, but I have been living with a mostly southern family, so that's why I mostly speak it. I can imitate the northern dialect a little but not as fluently as my mother does. Oh, she can do plenty of dialects, from northern and central and _Quảng Ngãi_, which is this really strange place I don't know much about with a pretty funny accent..." As she trailed off, her face grew distant, almost sad. "...in fact, I know relatively little, even if a little more than others, about Vietnam."

Binabik frowned in confusion. "Why is that?"

"You see, there was a war..." And that was how she went on to telling him of some crucial Vietnamese history, from its ancient breaking-away from China and its multiple invasions to the French occupation and then the Communist movement, which was the most recent war known and the war she was talking about when she began. "My parents were refugees, so they left Vietnam for America." A little history on America then, too, so Binabik would understand why her parents chose America as a place to go. Its founding by Christopher Columbus, the colonists and pilgrims, Revolutionary War, etc., etc. "And having grown up there, I have never once set foot on Vietnamese soil. Not even for a vacation." Her face hardened. "And I will never, not as long as those dogs control the government and make fools out of all the people." But there was something sad in that statement; something wistful; that Binabik, and even Geloë and Malachias could sense in her words. "Anyway," she continued, "a lot of songs were written about the war and it has become a rather romantic subject for artists and the like. I know a good few, but...they are mostly sad."

"It would be strange to be having war songs that are not sad," Binabik pointed out, and she laughed slightly.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "Indeed." A pause, then, "But the Wind Bridge song is not a war song, just so you know."

Binabik chuckled and rose from his seat. "Of course, of course, that is rather obvious, is it not?" He waddled over to his pack, which he began to rifle through. "Hmm. I have been forgetting, but we have not eaten much of anything at all this morning. Simon especially could use the food. Valada Geloë, begging your pardon, but is there anything we can use?"

Geloë gave him the general directions to a certain cabinet without even looking up from her work. "And if you go give some to Simon," she added, "be sure to tell him of the journey we will be taking, to seek the answers."

"Thank you, very much, and I will," the troll said as he went over to the cabinet. But since he was too short, Ahnnie had to go over to help him. She brought down half a loaf of hard, dark bread and a cloth-covered lump of pungent cheese. After finding a good knife, they set to work on splitting the loaf and spreading some cheese on the slices. Ahnnie gave some pieces over to Malachias, who took them silently, while Binabik went out to give the knobby end to Simon, who was still out on the lake.

While he and Simon were out talking, Ahnnie came to sit closer to the valada and Malachias. "Is it all right for me to eat solid food now, Valada Geloë?"

"Go ahead."

After biting and swallowing a chunk of her bread and cheese, Ahnnie asked again, "Pardon me, Valada...I don't mean to bother you...but what journey were you talking about? Are we going somewhere?"

Geloë did not look bothered, much less distracted. "A journey, yes, but not out beyond this house. It is a journey down the Dream-Road, which, for an outsider to this world, you may not be familiar with." Her bird eyes looked at Ahnnie for a moment, and then turned back to Leleth. "Binabik, Simon, and I will be going. You might be able to join, though, and that has been a matter of thought for me for quite a while now."

"If it is called the 'Dream-Road', then it's obviously something done during sleep," Ahnnie guessed with a satisfying nod in reply. "But why the journey? What answers are we seeking? To the sudden changes in the land?"

"In part. But as of late, Simon has been having...vivid nightmares. I believe he has seen something...something important, too important for him to have seen...and his dreams may be the key to understanding all that has been happening. He woke up from one of these nightmares last night a little after you went back to sleep."

Ahnnie nodded, chewing. "And the reason why you're thinking of letting me join," she said, "without any real affirmative answer...is because you're afraid I might lapse into sleep paralysis again, right?"

Geloë nodded. "Yes, young one. To have sleep paralysis after a normal dream is fine, but to have it when coming back from the Dream-Road is perilous. I have never had to wake someone with it or pull them out of the Dream-Road before, and I don't want any undue harm to come to you."

"Then, I don't have to." She finished up her bit of bread and wiped her hands clean of the crumbs. "Don't worry, Valada Geloë, I'm an understanding person. I wouldn't want to become trapped in some place beyond my dimension that I don't know of, and I most certainly don't want to burden you with any of my weaknesses."

"But," the valada interjected, "your strength on the Dream-Road would help me to determine the abilities you have in the waking world. Excuse it as curiosity or whatever you please, but Binabik and I wanted to see how you would fare, how strong you really are. As a first-timer to the Road it is, of course, new and confusing but perhaps what you are will help. Drastically."

_So she wants to see my magic ability, _Ahnnie thought. "But...I've never been one for...divinity, and dreams, and stuff..."

"It could be your opportunity to learn. You will find that as a practice amongst the wise ones of this world, going on the Dream-Road is a way of seeking answers. Not that you must do it frequently, but at times when it is crucial."

That was a valid point indeed. And Ahnnie was curious too, but...the sleep paralysis...if it were as the valada said, then it would be much worse than anything she'd ever felt when simply waking up from normal sleep. _But I don't have a headache right now, _she thought, _so it should b__e fine. I should be ok. I'm going with Binabik, the valada, and Simon too! _But that would only be a comfort if the phrase 'safety in numbers' also counted on the Dream-Road.

"It is really up to you," Geloë finished.

Ahnnie looked down on her own hands, as if she could find an answer there. Then at Malachias, who had been staring at her, obviously listening to every word that passed between her and the valada. Finally down at Leleth, whose feverish little face was still anguished, riddled with uneasy sleep. After a few, uneventful moments, she broke the silence by saying, "I'll go. But please, don't...don't be too concerned about me. I'll try to go through it with all that I've got."

The valada nodded, and something like a kindly smile was on her lips. But then, there was also worry behind her eyes, too.

* * *

Geloë brought out a pot and, after opening it, stuck two fingers in to bring out a gob of a dark green paste much stickier and smellier than the earlier moss poultice. "Lean forward," she commanded to Simon, and smeared a line of it onto his forehead just above his nose. She proceeded to do the same for Binabik, herself, and then lastly Ahnnie. The paste felt cold to the touch at first, but then grew into a mix of both hot and cold.

"What is it?" Simon asked, ever-curious.

The valada beckoned each of the paste-smeared participants to sit with her at the fire. "Nightshade, mockfoil, whitewood bark to give it the proper consistency..." She arranged the four of them like compass points to each side of the fire, the pot placed on the floor by her knees. "Now, rub this on both your hands," she said as she scooped separate globs of the strange paste for each of them, "and a dab on your lips; but not in your mouth! There..."

When they were done with that, Geloë motioned for them to clasp hands. Ahnnie grasped both Binabik and Simon's, since she was in between them. As they touched hands, the hot-cold sensation the strange paste gave off was increased.

"Hold tightly," the valada warned. "There is nothing terrible that will happen if you let go, but it will be better if you hold on. Especially you, Ahnnie."

Ahnnie nodded. She could feel Simon's curious eyes on her then, but pretended not to notice.

"Which brings me to this point: Simon, Binabik," the witch woman continued, "you must have an extra firm hold on Ahnnie; and when we come back, if you see that she is paralyzed, shake her immediately. If not, we might lose her."

The words seemed to chill the very air in the room; though Binabik looked calm, Simon's face had paled and Malachias was watching Ahnnie with fearful eyes.

"Wh-why?" Simon asked.

"This is only something concerning Ahnnie," the valada reassured him. "It will not happen to you."

"No," Simon shook his head, "I wasn't...I didn't mean that. But, why should we do that? What does Ahnnie...?" His voice trailed off as he looked pityingly at her.

"I'm easily susceptible to migraines," Ahnnie explained. "They are a heavy form of headaches, where the person affected is bothered by lights and sounds and can easily become nauseous. To make a long story short, because I have these migraines I am also more prone to sleep paralysis, a temporary state of immobility that happens upon falling asleep or waking up. Normally it's not a problem, but since I am going to be traveling on the Dream-Road with you, Valada Geloë told me to exercise some caution. She has never had to go on such a journey with...well, someone like me, before."

Binabik nodded grimly, and tightened his grip on her hand. "It is perfectly understood, do not be worrying. I will try my best."

Ahnnie thought she could hear Simon gulp, and watched as he turn away from her. His hand, though, gripped hers a little firmer than before.

"Now, if there are no more questions, we will begin," Geloë said. The air seemed to freeze with tension again as she lowered her eyelids, not closing them but leaving a small slit open, and her lips began to wordlessly move in a quiet chant. They all visibly relaxed as Geloë's words seemed to coax them out of rigidity. Ahnnie's eyes in particular were focused on the drifting smoke in the fire, waving and twisting every which way like a thin film of gossamer cloth. A tingling feeling arose in the places where Geloë had applied the paste on them.

Suddenly, all was dark, as if someone had snuffed the scenery out like a fragile candle flame. There was only the firepit visible, with all else gone. Ahnnie felt that she should be alarmed, but was surprised to find that she was not. Instead, she began to close her sleep-heavy eyes, feeling lulled by the weightlessness that seemed to take a hold of her. Eventually she felt herself being pushed down onto her back, where her body lay resting in the giant cradling hand of the universe.

After some moments of pointless floating, Ahnnie could see the the darkness shifting much like a movie screen fading in to reveal a new scene. In a direct opposite of the black that had completely surrounded her, everything was turning white, such a white as she had never seen before. Slanting hues of shade and uneven surfaces told her that this wasn't another obsolete color change, but a revelation of a new location. A wintry mountain. The cold caught up to her then, and she found herself shivering because of it.

At the same time, though, the chill temperature was almost thrilling; a taste of the wind, of the heights, and of adventure; and Ahnnie felt her spirits lift in a strange sort of exaltation. She breathed in the mountain air like a thirsty traveler and exhaled a plume of breath-vapor. Oh! She quickly looked down at herself, and saw her feet and hands and body just the way she'd left it back at the witch woman's house. Except, she was floating, and slightly translucent.

_Creepy, _she thought, twirling around involuntarily as she turned her head back to inspect her backsides. When the spinning stopped, she felt dizzy, and realized that along with her ghost-like state she was also extremely weightless. _Better not do that again, _she resolved. _Now, where are the others...?_

She saw nothing, but suddenly felt a presence. Something oddly Simon-like. She turned her head here and there but couldn't see him in the midst of the snow. And yet, she sensed him right there beside her. Was he lost in the snow?

"Simon!" she tried to call out. Instead, all was silence, with only the howling wind to judge. She tried again, but her voice would not come; it was as if someone had pressed a mute button on her, forbidding any volume.

_And now where are Binabik and Geloë? _she wondered as she continued to look around. As if on cue, their presences were also felt, and instinct told Ahnnie to look above her. Her eyes were rewarded with the sight of a great grey owl circling overhead, and some blurry thing beside it that she couldn't make out. For some reason she was sure those two were Binabik and Geloë, but as to which was which she still couldn't tell.

Then, without any movement on her own part, Ahnnie began to come closer and closer to the mountain until she met with a thin crevice in its side. _How can I fit inside? _she wondered, and with alarming velocity, was thrust right into that crevice; an inaudible scream erupted from her lips, and she instinctively tried to close her eyes but found that she could not. It was as if she had no eyelids, or they were frozen in place, because she could still see the blurs that were the crevice walls as she zipped past them. Then she was blasted into an icy hallway of sorts, along with a small spark that she could not see but sense and recognize as Simon.

_Simon! _she mentally cried out as he almost hit a passing pale figure in the face. Her astral hands were reaching out to block him, but did not touch and actually went right through the figure's forehead. Remembering that they were formless in this strange, tundra palace, she pulled back her arms and pushed a strand of flying spirit-hair behind her own spirit-ear. _Never mind him, we are supposed to be looking for answers. _Almost at the same time she thought that, her rushing form seemed to stop, like a car that suddenly put on the brakes, and she started to float more slowly although still speedily down the ice halls.

The Simon-spark beside her seemed to do so too, although she had the distinct feeling that he was still rushing ahead while she was simply cruising along; which was impossible if the two of them were still side-by-side together. Then it occurred to her that the strange phenomenon was due to their own perceptions; Ahnnie had chosen to slow down what she was seeing, while Simon still unwittingly let his point of view speed him past. The truth was that they were actually moving at the same pace; it was only the way they saw everything that made them feel different speeds.

And so, as Ahnnie took the opportunity to get to know the lay of the land, she noted the stern and pale beings that milled around the ice cavern. They had angular features, much like elves, and long white hair. They were either marching up or down the corridors with spears in their hands or tending to yellow and blue fires, whose smoke disappeared into cracks in the ceiling, no doubt emerging out of the mountain to crown its peak.

To test her theory, the girl willed herself to speed up once again. There seemed to be nothing in the halls of ice that would answer their questions, or at least Geloë's, and Simon and Binabik's. Once again she felt in sync with Simon, and the both of them raced through the mountain until they stopped in what seemed like the very heart of the rock; a very hollow heart.

It was a large and spacious chamber with a roof so high that one could not see where it ended, even if their head was bent all the way back. The floor, like the previous tunnels and rooms, was glazed over with ice and dotted with snowflakes that fell in flurries from the roof itself. At the center was an enormous well, also of ice, from which an eerie pale blue light was flickering. And as if the light gave off heat, there was a swirling mass of fog or vapor above the well mouth, flashing colors like an icicle in the sun.

_What is this? _Ahnnie wondered as she felt a kind of fear creep into her heart from looking at the light. _What is it...? _She could tell that the Simon-spark was feeling it too.

Then, as the fog cleared somewhat, Ahnnie could make out a blurry shape that looked as though it hung in the mist. Its angles and curves were too confusing, though, and made Ahnnie wonder whether something was sitting opposite the well, facing them. With a new feeling of determination, she used her will to push her astral form upwards; up, up, up above the point of fog; to spy on whatever it was beyond them. The Simon-spark went along, too, either because he meant to follow her or she pulled him along.

There, a regal figure seated upon an evil-looking throne of black rock. She was dressed in the most beautiful and intricate of silver-white robes, with long snowy hair that almost blended in with her clothes, like a chameleon on a branch. Her face, when she lifted it, was masked in silver...a beautiful mask, but unmoving and heartless. Ahnnie felt the Simon-spark being blinded by the light it reflected, and only recognize it as a mask when the snow queen turned away. But then when she looked at them once again, the scene faded to black once more...

* * *

...and then, Ahnnie was substantial again, except for the fact that her hands were on a wheel and there was a whirring engine noise and water was all around her. She was going incredibly fast, so fast that her unbound hair was flying behind her without whipping into her face, and water spray was everywhere. A few moments later and she realized that she was on a small motorboat of Yamaha make, chasing a receding form down the expanse of a lake at night. Surely not Geloë's lake? It wasn't this big. And this lake was more spacious...

_Lake Lanier! _The name struck her head like a hammer on an anvil. But why was she chasing someone in Lake Lanier?

"Stop what you're doing!" she involuntarily yelled. It was as if her mouth moved on its own. "You don't know...how dangerous it is!"

The figure ahead of her looked back and disrespectfully began upping the speed of his...or her...jet ski. Something was strapped to his back, like a pack of some sort.

"I have to catch up," Ahnnie murmured, and she increased her speed as well.

The chase began to fade away, though, and Ahnnie felt herself slip from the boat like a slowly falling feather. Everything was a blur of color, from blue-green to brown to clay red to midnight blue and pinpoints of light yellow: the colors of her surroundings before they began to fade. She was dropped back down on wet land; no, water; where she stood facing the person she'd been chasing. Yes, standing on water. The blur of colors settled down into distinguishable shapes, and it was revealed in the distance near the shore that their water crafts had crashed into the land with the most combustive of damages. The two of them had apparently jumped out in time using their magic and decided to settle the score on the very lake itself.

"Give me back the book," Ahnnie threatened, and felt herself take a step forward. _What was the book about? _her astral self wondered at the same time. "Trust me, it's dangerous..."

"You're just scared!" her opponent jeered. Tall figure, lightly muscular, with storm grey eyes, jaunt face, and long brown hair in a ponytail. He was definitely a he, but who was he? Ahnnie couldn't remember.

Her eyes narrowed. "Scared? Yes, scared! Scared enough to know that that book will not be used for good in your hands!"

"So you fear me."

"No; just what you're going to do. But fear doesn't always mean hiding, or backing down."

Well, whoever he was, he certainly knew magic similar to hers if he could stand on water too. "These swords are real," he hissed, his breath ragged. "And they are going to help me..."

"I never denied their existence," she pointed out. "And I never said they wouldn't be powerful. But help you with what? How are they going to help you? They are just going to-"

"_Shut up!_" he screeched, and hugged his pack protectively. The book was in the pack. "It's none of your business! You didn't have to get involved!"

"But you give me no choice," she calmly argued. "Yeah, sure, I could care less about your salvation...but the damage you are going to cause with those swords..." She sighed. "That is, if you ever find them. The riddle inside doesn't exactly make the best of maps. And the measures you'll have to take are...extreme. What's worse is that masked lady who's making you do all this-"

"She is the Silver Queen, and she deserves respect!"

"_She _only exists in your dreams!" Ahnnie screamed back. "And yet, she knew of this book that sat in Mr. Carter's shop unread for _five generations! _Don't you think that means something!?"

"She will help me solve the riddles," the brown haired boy argued. "She will point out the way to me. She...she knows how I feel...unlike you, always criticizing me!"

Ahnnie clenched a fist. "I have no more time for this." With a dash, almost as if she were the very wind herself, she sped forward like a torpedo and hooked the pack from him with a bent arm. Skidding back in an arc on the water from the momentum as she stopped, she hurriedly unzipped the pack and dumped out the large tome inside. The pack was thrown heartlessly away, serving no good purpose anymore.

"_Give that back!_" the guy practically shrieked, and a few startled birds flew away in the distance.

The book started to smoke where her hands were holding them; in seconds, flames appeared, and ate away hungrily at the binding. "No!_"_

Though previously stunned, the boy quickly regained his composure and weaved something intricate with his hands. He chanted something under his breath that made threads come into existence from thin air, and those threads sought to tangle both girl and book.

Ahnnie ducked away from those threads and ran down the lake, booted feet tap-tapping on the water and making it ripple. The stars were her only light as she ran hugging the burning bulk of leather and parchment.

The vision seemed to be burning out, much like a stick of incense with very little incense left. Everything was becoming vague and obscure once again, although it wasn't blurred away. It was due, she realized, to a strange tug-of-war between some strange force and her astral form. The force was trying to pull her away from the vision and the temporary body she possessed while in it, and she was fighting back to see what would happen next.

Eventually, she and the boy reached a ceasefire in their fighting; the book was still in her hands, but no longer burning, just charred in places. The boy stood panting, exhausted, but still threatening her with all his power and that of the Queen's to get the tome back. He said something...some spell...something Ahnnie didn't want him to say. It was too dangerous, she had yelled to him, much too dangerous to use. But he did anyway, and a loud crack like a gunshot exploded over the entire lake; bright light almost as white as snow flashed in their eyes.

But the very last thing she saw...almost impossible, beyond all fate...was the gilded title of the book. _Du Svardenvyrd._

* * *

At that same moment, everything was fading to black again. _Why? What's happening? _Ahnnie's astral self wondered. Was she going back to the ice mountain? Was she going to see those pale elvish figures again? She had to wait a while, though, before the blackness would dissolve once more into light. When it did, she found herself facing the same ice mountain again, from the distance she had in the beginning. It was time to go now, time to leave, and time to go back. As she looked all around her, her weightless astral form spinning around madly, she once more saw the gray owl and blurry shape. Binabik and Geloë, check. Simon...Simon...Simon!?

Where was Simon? He was nowhere to be felt, to be seen. The Simon-spark that had traveled alongside her was missing. True, he wasn't present when she saw herself back at Lake Lanier, but at least she knew he'd be waiting once she got out. Something told her he was still trapped. Where? In the mountain? With the Masked Queen? Or the pale-faced sentinels?

_I must go find him, s_he desperately thought, and almost instantly she zipped towards the mountain like she'd never zoomed before, the gray owl speeding overhead along with her.

They finally found him at a large, tower-like tree of ice, impossibly tall. However, Ahnnie did not pay much attention to it as she sought to rip him from the oppressive grip that was holding him down. He was just a spark; how could he handle it? It was only when the owl pitched in, though, that they succeeded in getting him out. The effort, however, hurt and ruffled the owl badly. They had to leave, now.

While there seemed to be nothing in the owl's talons, Ahnnie felt sure that Simon was secure in them, and held on to the owl's back as it flew even faster across the land of Osten Ard.

The ice mountain was growing farther and father away, smaller and smaller, until it was a tiny speck of white in the distance. Until, eventually, it was nothing at all. And then they landed in the heart of the Aldheorte Forest, eager for rest...

**_No. Not you._**

The voice, like a voice of judgement, rang in Ahnnie's astral ears and held her frozen beneath the eaves of the Aldheorte's trees. She struggled and struggled but whatever it was would not let her go. "Help!" she wordlessly screamed. "Geloë, help!" But her arms were growing rigid; her astral body lost its weightlessness. No, her body was freezing, freezing with the ice of the faraway mountain.

* * *

Simon was the first to wake. He felt rigid and swollen at first, but as he regained his senses, he was able to push himself up in a heavy, painful way. He ended in a crouch, feeling both groggy and cumbersome at the same time. He decided to sit that way, until he could figure out what was happening, what had been happening.

The first person he happened to look for was Binabik; the little man was on his back, still unconscious, his face deathly pale. Qantaqa whimpered and nosed him skittishly, as if fearing he were dead. Geloë was accounted for, because Malachias was trying to shake her awake. And Ahnnie...well, Simon wasn't sure if it looked like Ahnnie was paralyzed. The others were still unconscious, so maybe she was the same too. He decided to get to Binabik first, and before he even reached him the little troll started to cough back to life.

"We..." the troll rasped, "we...are...all here?"

Simon looked at Geloë and Ahnnie again. "A moment," he said, as he got up onto his feet and forced himself to take an empty pot out to the lake shore for water. As he went out, he was surprised to see that the sky was sunny, even if still foggy. Their Dream-Road journey felt much longer than that. Shrugging the thought away, the youth scooped water into the pot and then went back inside to first give some to Binabik. The troll drank in deeply, and then told him to go give some to Geloë. Simon did so, splashing some water into her mouth at first, until she too sputtered to life and let her drink some more. Lastly, he reached Ahnnie, who still lay unconscious. He splashed water into her mouth too.

Nothing.

Some more.

Still nothing.

Simon was growing worried.

Then, he saw her mouth move, but very slightly. Her chin quivered, as if she was straining to speak but something was binding her mouth together. He heard her tongue click as it tried to separate from the mouth roof. Puzzled, he tapped her face with his fingers several times. She was still like that, struggling against an invisible force. Much like she was paralyzed.

Wait. Paralyzed!?

"G-Geloë!" he yelled. "Ahnnie is, Ahnnie is...!"

Binabik shot up like someone had just lit his hair on fire. "What are you waiting for!? Shake her, shake her!"

Startled into action, Simon took her by the shoulders and shook her as he had never shaken anyone before. Unbeknownst to him, she had already woken up long in his shaking, but he was just too frightened to notice.

"SIMON!" she had to yell at the top of her lungs. It was then he stopped.

"I...I'm sorry," he said as he fell back with such a look of relief on his face.

She was relieved, too, and grabbed the water pot without even letting him know. Her mouth took in the lake water thirstily, and drained all that was left inside. She was right; being paralyzed after the Dream-Road was much worse than anything she'd ever known. She vividly remembered it, her seemingly fruitless struggle against the unseen force out in the Forest and her own half-consciousness in Geloë's cottage. It was absolutely frightening.

"What about Geloë?" Ahnnie asked. The witch woman still lay resting, where Malachias was giving her more water. "Did she make it back?"

Simon nodded. "She saved me, didn't she?" he asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Ahnnie blinked. And then she remembered the owl's struggle to free the Simon-spark. "Oh...yeah..."

"It is likely that she did," Binabik said. "She is a powerful ally, but even her strength has been by this taxed to the limit."

Simon continued watching Malachias tend to Geloë. "What did it mean, though? Did you see what I saw? The mountain and...and the lady with the mask, and the book?"

"I certainly did," Ahnnie said. "The mountain, the lady, and the book..." Her eyes widened, as if she remembered something crucial. "The book! You saw it too?"

"Well, yes...but I couldn't read anything..."

"I saw the title," the girl started excitedly. "I'm not sure if it is the same one you saw, but..." Her dark brown eyes trailed to Geloë once more, and she willed herself to calm down. "Never mind. I'll wait until all of us are ready to discuss it."

"Indeed," Binabik agreed. "After we are getting something to eat, especially. I am full of terrible hunger right now!"

Simon gave them an uneasy smile, as if trying to share in their enthusiasm but unable to. He turned away to look elsewhere only to find Malachias staring at him. He started to turn away again, but didn't and held the stare until he was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Um-"

"It was as if the whole house was shaking," Malachias interrupted him, surprising everyone who was awake in the room. His voice, Ahnnie noted, was strangely high-pitched for a boy.

"What do you mean?" Simon asked.

"The whole cottage. While the four of you sat and stared at the fire, the walls began to...to quiver. Like someone picked it up and set it down again."

Simon blinked for a few moments, clearly not knowing what to say. "Most likely it was only the way we were moving," he tried to reassure Malachias, "while we were...I mean...oh, I don't know." He looked away in terrible shame, but Ahnnie could tell that he was just as startled and confused as the rest of them who had gone on that suspenseful Dream-Road journey.

She sighed. "Well, I'll go make some soup. I think I remember the herbs Geloë used."

"I shall help you," Binabik offered.

Malachias, seeing his conversation with Simon ended, turned away to take care of Geloë again. Outside, it began to rain.


	4. Chapter 4

I've been putting in some songs in the last chapter and this chapter, so if you're curious about what they sound like copy n' paste the head lyrics onto Google or YouTube and pick out a version you think is suitable. Otherwise I would provide the link or the name of the specific video involved.

* * *

The lake was dotted with raindrops and ripples outside, like a constantly-shifting gray mirror. Everything was quiet and solemn in the witch woman's house; except for Binabik's jokes, which he made while they were eating, there was little cheer or joy on this particularly gray afternoon. It seemed that once again the cottage would be subject to silent boredom with little for its inhabitants to do other than sleep or stare.

However, the rain let up an hour after it had come down. Still Geloë slept, but was not worried after because of how Malachias protectively watched over her. Binabik had decided to take a small nap with Qantaqa, while Simon and Ahnnie were left with nothing to do. Eventually Ahnnie went outside, drawn to the lake especially after the rains lifted, and sat down on the ramp with her two feet dangling just above the water.

''_Wait a second, _she thought. _Didn't it look a little more different? Shouldn't that tree be on the other side? _Her dark brown eyes looked around to see any other differences...and there were many. Almost as if Malachias' claims about the house being picked up and dropped down were true. Maybe even turned around, for Ahnnie remembered a certain tree root being on the far side of the house. Hmm, strange. However, that was not very important right now; she had to get her wits about her for when Geloë awakened, so that she could tell her side of the Dream-Road story.

"_Tình cờ, gặp lại nhau_," she eventually found herself singing.

_"Dường như lâu lắm rất quen nhau_

_Gặp lại nhau mắt vương niềm đau_

_Gặp lại nhau lúc sắp xa nhau_

_Gặp lại nhau tóc xanh phai màu..._

_"Khăn thờ nàng đội a_

_Mà em đội í...ơ...trên đầu_

_Nửa thương bên nọ thì thương_

_Nửa sâu bên phía ớ hơi nao_

_Này nàng ơi thấu chăng nỗi lòng..."_

"What does it mean?" a different voice suddenly asked, and Ahnnie had the impression that it was a girl's voice.

"Leleth!?" Ahnnie whirled around, but saw Malachias instead. "Oh...I thought you...um..."

Malachias looked away with a dainty blush forming on his cheeks. "It's fine. The...the song?" The boy came to sit next to her, big round eyes looking into hers inquisitively.

Ahnnie stared at him for a moment before saying, "I'll try to translate it as reasonably as possible." She cleared her throat and stared off into the distance, as if she could find a translation there. "_Tình cờ, gặp lại nhau; _incidentally meeting again. _Dường như lâu lắm rất quen nhau; _I believe we've known each other for a long time. _Gặp lại nhau mắt vương niềm đau; _meeting each other again with pain etched in our eyes. _Gặp lại nhau lúc sắp xa nhau; _meeting each other again before going apart. _Gặp lại nhau tóc xanh phai màu; _meeting each other again when the color of our hair is faded." She sniffed in the cold lake air. "Basically, it's about two lovers who meet again before one of them gets married to another person and then again later when they are old."

The boy stayed silent, green eyes gazing at the water as a small breeze blew ripples over the lake.

"How is Geloë?" Ahnnie asked after a while.

Malachias snapped out of his thoughts and gave her a sheepish grin. "She...she's fine. I think she should wake up soon."

"I hope so. I have a lot to tell her."

Malachias nodded, drawing in his knees to hug them. He suddenly seemed vulnerable and yet wary at the same time, like a frightened animal. "Did what you see," he began to ask again, "explain why the world has been changing? Did you find out why King Elias is being so...so different?"

Ahnnie blinked. "Um, I'm not really sure. That's why I need to discuss it with Geloë and the others, to see if they saw something where I didn't." A pause, then, "How different is King Elias now? I heard the story but I'm not very sure about much of it. Well, I was aware that he was listening more and more to some priest named Pryrates, but I'm not really certain about how he was perceived before."

Malachias sighed. "It's no secret that he and his brother Josua did not get along, especially after Lady Hylissa died. She is the King's former wife, and mother to the Princess Miriamele. But he wasn't bad, I swear it," he hurriedly added. "He was...he was tough, but he wasn't...he wasn't like this, not now..." Something shook in his voice, something beyond lamentation for a king's horrid change in temperament.

But Malachias did not choose to say anything else, so Ahnnie was left with a very vague description of the Erkynlandish king. But she did not pursue it, not when Malachias looked so distraught. However, that further cemented her belief that the boy had come to the Hayholt from another noble's court, maybe even Elias' back in Meremund. Otherwise he would not have talked like he'd known the King so well.

"Don't worry, I believe you," she said comfortingly. "And I hope we can find some answers to this. It's just not good for it to be happening."

Malachias nodded, his nose reddened now from the chill wind blowing by. He then started to stand up, saying, "I'll go see to Geloë now," before heading back inside.

"I'm coming too," Ahnnie called after him, and scrambled to get a foothold on the ramp.

* * *

"I saw evil things moving," the witch woman said grimly. "Evil things that will shake the roots of the world we know."

Ahnnie, Binabik, Simon, and Geloë were arranged facing each other in a haphazardly shaped semi-circle. Malachias sat on Leleth's pallet, distanced but watching. The valada had recovered as Malachias had expected, even if late into the evening, but she was changed; somehow, she was more solemn and grave. And that was saying something, for the witch woman was already serious on a normal basis.

"I almost wish we had not taken the dream-path," she continued, "but that is an idle wish, from the part of me that wants just to be left alone. I see darker days coming, and I fear to be drawn into the events so ill-omened."

"But _what _is evil?" Ahnnie asked confusedly. "All I saw was a big mountain with bunches of pale people moving around in it and a lady in a silver mask; and then I saw what I was doing before I came here." She frowned. "How can all that be the cause of the darkness you're speaking of?"

"Yes, what was all that?" Simon added. "With the mountain and everything. Did you see it too?"

"Stormspike," Binabik interjected without waiting for Geloë. "The mountain, that is."

Geloë nodded. "True. It was _Sturmrspeik _we saw, as they call it in Rimmersgard, where it is a legend, as far as the Rimmersmen are concerned. Stormspike. The mountain of the Norns."

"We Qanuc know Stormspike to be real," Binabik pointed out. "But still, the Norns have not been intruding on the affairs of Osten Ard since beyond time. Why now? It looked to me as if...as if..."

"As if they were preparing for war," Geloë finished.

"Then the hounds of Stormspike," Simon said, "belong to them? They were sent by them?"

"Precisely," the valada said.

"But who are they preparing for war against?" Simon asked again. "And who is the woman in the silver mask?"

"The mask? Not a woman. A creature out of legend, you could say, or a creature out of time beyond time, as Binabik put it." The witch woman suddenly looked very tired. "That was _Utuk'ku, _the Queen of the Norns."

"So the Norns are the pale people?" Ahnnie asked.

"Binabik said they were Sithi," Simon added.

Ahnnie tilted her head in confusion. "What are Sithi?"

"The Sithi are an ancient race of immortal beings," Binabik explained. "They were the First Ones of Osten Ard long before the Rimmersmen and Erkynlanders came. Unfortunately, when they did come, they destroyed much of the Sithi and their cities, which I have heard to be exquisitely beautiful."

"So the Norns are a kind of Sithi?" Ahnnie asked.

"_Chash,_" Binabik said with a nod of approval. "Correct. The difference is that the Norns have secluded themselves to Stormspike, whereas the original Sithi lived all over Osten Ard."

"The old wisdom says that they were part of the Sithi once," Geloë added. "But they are a lost tribe, or renegades. They never came to Asu'a; which is the Hayholt now, and a former Sithi stronghold; with the rest of their folk, but disappeared into the unmapped north, the icy lands beyond Rimmersgard and its mountains. They chose to separate themselves from the doings of Osten Ard, although that seems to be changing." A brief, but subtle, flash of unease seemed to flicker in the valada's face.

Simon stared at her hard for a while, as if he could read something vital in her wrinkled and knowing features. Then, as if he just realized something revolutionary, he jolted in his spot and struggled with his breath. When he caught it again, he said, "Those...those pale people. The Norns. I've seen them before!"

"_What!?_" both Geloë and Binabik exclaimed in unison. Their cooperation and ferocity startled Simon so much that he backed away in his seat.

"When?" the witch woman snapped.

"It happened..." Simon began uneasily. "...I _think _it happened: it may have been a dream...on the night I ran away from the Hayholt. I was in the lich-yard, and I thought I heard something calling my name; a woman's voice." Though none of them noticed, Ahnnie saw Malachias fidget. "I was so frightened that I ran away, out of the lich-yard and toward Thisterborg. Which is a hill," he said to Ahnnie. He then seemed to notice Malachias' nervousness, but ignored him and continued. "There was a fire on top of Thisterborg, up among the Anger Stones. Do you know them?"

"I do," the valada affirmed.

"Well, I was cold and frightened, so I climbed up. I'm sorry, but I was so sure that this was just a dream. Perhaps it is."

"Perhaps. Go on."

"There were men on the top. They were soldiers. I could tell because they wore armor." The red haired boy rubbed his sweating palms together. "One of them was King Elias. I was frightened even more, then, so I hid. Then...then there was a horrible creaking noise, and a black wagon came up the far side of the hill. Those pale skinned people; the Norns, that's what they were; were with it, several of them, dressed in black robes."

He stopped and stayed silent for a long while, trying to remember. In the midst of this pause the rains started again and filled the cottage with the noise of its thrumming on the roof. It was perfectly clear to the ones present in the room that as the seconds wore on, the tension increased.

"And?" the valada finally asked.

"_Elysia Mother-of-God!_" Simon suddenly burst out, and tears were streaming down his face. "I can't remember! They gave him something, something from the wagon. Other things happened, too, but it feels like it's all under a blanket in my head. I can touch it, but I can't tell what it is! They gave him something! I thought it was a dream!" He then buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

Ahnnie looked at him pityingly. _It must have been a bad experience..._

The troll had reached out to pat the boy on the knee. "This is perhaps answering our other question. I, too, pondered over why the Norns should be readying for battle. I wondered if they would be fighting against Elias the High King, as some age-old grievance against mankind. Now, it has the appearance to me that they are _helping _him. Some kind of bargain has been struck. Possibly, it was that which Simon saw. But how? How could Elias ever make such a compact with the secretive Norns?"

Simon shook his head, wiping at his tears in frustration as he did so. But then he froze, both hands in front of his face, and what he said next sounded so unlike his usual inquisitive self that Ahnnie felt a little scared. "Pryrates." Eventually the life returned to him, and he looked up with the face people usually made when they remembered something gravely important. "Morgenes said that Pryrates opened doors, and that terrible things came through." A metaphor, of course, unless Pryrates really did open his doors to let predators through. "Pryrates was on that hill, too."

The valada nodded sagely. "It makes a kind of sense. A question that must be answered, but one that I am sure is beyond our powers, is: what was the bargaining-tally? What could these two, Pryrates and the king, have to offer to the Norns for their aid?"

There was a long silence.

"What did the book say?" Simon asked suddenly. "On the Dream-Road. Did you see the book, too?"

"I think we all saw it," Ahnnie said. "_Du Svardenvyrd _was the title."

"You can read Rimmersgard runes?" Binabik asked curiously.

"What? It was written in plain English. I mean, Western," she quickly corrected. "What does it mean, really? I could read it, but I couldn't understand it."

" 'Spell of the Swords', it is in your speech," Binabik answered.

"Or 'Weird of the Swords'," Geloë added. "It is a famous book in the circles of the wise, but it has been long lost. I have never seen it. It is said to have been written by Nisses, a priest who was a counselor to King Hjeldin the Mad, one of the old rulers of the Hayholt."

"I saw three swords," Simon said after a while of thought.

"Only shapes was I seeing," Binabik said. "I thought they might have the look of swords."

But Geloë remained unsure. Even when Simon described the swords, both her and Binabik couldn't make anything out of them.

The valada's bird-eyes alighted on Ahnnie next. "You said the title of the book was written in the Westerling speech; how did you come across it?"

It appeared to be Ahnnie's turn to tell her part of the story. She adjusted herself and leaned in closer, as if what she had to say would be hard to hear. "Well, like I said, I saw the mountain and the lady, but also of what happened before I came here. I think it's supposed to explain how I ended up in Osten Ard, but..." She trailed off for a moment with a reluctant look at Simon.

"I had forgotten to tell you," the troll began to say, "that while we were waiting for Geloë to recover I had been telling Simon and Malachias of the truth, that you are from another world." Before she could protest, he added, "I am sorry but it was necessary; after all, if we wanted to understand our Dream-Road journeys, we had to be fully aware of each other's conditions."

Ahnnie shrugged and continued. "...but I'm not very sure. It was quite vague, and I think a part of my memory had been erased so that I wouldn't understand it. I was chasing someone down a lake; the spacious lake I told you of, remember Geloë?; and he had the book, _Du Svardenvyrd. _He had magic like me and was planning to do something awful with it. I believe it had something to do with swords, because he and I argued about it back and forth for a while. He was also being manipulated by a masked lady from his dreams into getting the book; and now, I believe that lady to be Utuk'ku, the Norn Queen; and she'd known of it even though it lay untouched in a Mr. Carter's bookshop for five generations. Then I took the book away from him and started to burn it...he was angry, and we fought...eventually, I was trying to get away, but he caught up to me and said this spell that made a flash of light and...well, that's where it ended."

"So the Weird of the Swords existed in your world," the troll said slowly. "Incredible! But how is that possible? How can a book originating from one world be in another?"

"That's not the question here," Geloë argued. "What is important is that Utuk'ku was able to reach out to a faraway being in between worlds, and that the Norns are trying to get the book from both the foreign world and our world. There is something they are searching for in that book...and they need it. I fear it was Utuk'ku herself who erased your memory, Ahnnie."

"Maybe," the girl said. "It sounds plausible. I didn't know what the book was about, or who the boy was, or even why I was chasing him in the first place. Those things sounds like memories she would erase, if she were looking for the book and didn't want me to catch onto it. It still leaves unanswered, however, the way I came here. Was it the flash of light? Was it a portal? Was it even Utuk'ku's intention for me to come?"

"But nevertheless," Binabik said, "we have learned what from the Dream-Road; that the Norns are giving aid to Elias? This we guessed. That a strange book from two worlds is playing some part...perhaps? And that Ahnnie here was involved, somehow. These are new things. We were given a dream-glimpse of Stormspike, and the halls of the mountain's queen. We may have learned things that we do not understand yet; still, I am thinking, one thing has changed not at all: we must take ourselves to Naglimund. Valada, your house will be protection for a while, but if Josua lives he has need to know of these things."

But before the troll could continue, Malachias interrupted him. "Simon," he said, "you said someone called you in the lich-yard. It was _my _voice you heard. I was the one calling you."

The information seemed rather random and irrelevant, but it still struck a chord of surprise to all but Geloë; especially Simon.

The witch woman was smiling. "At last, one of our mysteries begins to speak! Go on, child. Tell them what you must."

Ahnnie leaned in curiously, obviously putting two-and-two together. _If he was the person calling out in the lich-yard...and Simon said it was a woman's voice..._

Malachias was blushing furiously. "I..." he stuttered. "...my name is not Malachias. It is...Marya."

"But Marya is a girl's name," Simon blurted confusedly. He was obviously still clueless, even though Ahnnie, Binabik, and Geloë already seemed to have figured it out. "A _girl_...?" he said lamely. After staring at Malachias; or Marya; for a while, he finished with finality, "A girl."

"I knew it!" Ahnnie exclaimed after Simon was finished with his revelation. "I knew there was something different about her!" When she realized how tactless her exclamations were, Ahnnie cleared her throat and continued in a calmer manner, "I mean, I had been aware of something unusual. Sorry, I get excited when I discover new things."

Marya smiled sheepishly. "It's quite all right."

"But it was a good disguise," Ahnnie added. "You had us fooled for a while...especially Simon." She pretended to ignore the red haired boy's embarrassed blushing.

Geloë chuckled. "It was obvious, I must say; or it should have been. She had the advantage of traveling with a troll and a boy, and the cloak of confusing, dangerous events, but I told her the deception could not last."

"Especially not all the way to Naglimund, and that is where I must go," Marya remarked as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. "I have an important message to bear to Prince Josua from his niece, Miriamele. Please do not ask me what it is, for I may not tell you."

"Of course," Ahnnie said. "It _is _a message to a prince."

"But what of your sister?" Binabik then asked. "She will not be able to travel for a long time." The troll squinted at her, as if trying to see how he had been tricked.

Marya's voice took on a sadder tone. "She is not my sister. Leleth was the princess' handmaiden. We were very close. She was frightened to stay in the castle without me, and was desperate to come along." Her eyes wandered down to the sleeping child on the pallet. "I should never have brought her. I tried to pull her up into the tree before the dogs caught us. If I had only been stronger..."

"It is not clear," Geloë interrupted, "whether the girl will _ever _be able to travel. She has not moved far from the brink of death. I am sorry to say it, but it is the truth. You must leave her with me."

The valada said so as though she were a doctor pronouncing a loved one's death. Marya protested, but the witch woman would not budge. Leleth was staying with her, and that was what. Eventually it seemed as though Marya relented, and Ahnnie noted Simon watching it with displeasure. It was easy to guess what the red haired youth was thinking, for he was as readable as an open book: she shouldn't be leaving the child behind, no matter how important the message was.

"So," Binabik said, "where is it we are now? We still must reach Naglimund, and we are blocked by leagues of forest and the steep slopes of Wealdhelm. Not mentioning those who will be in our pursuit."

Marya suddenly gave a small jolt, and then looked Ahnnie's way.

"What is it?" Ahnnie asked her.

"I just realized," the castle girl said, "that soon, we will be parting, perhaps never to see you again." She smiled a little sadly. "We didn't even get to know you that well. And after all, since Leleth's not coming...I am going to be the only girl..."

Her words assuaged Simon's silent anger somewhat, making him look contemplative, but Binabik seemed to take it much smoother and smiled reassuringly at them.

"Do not be sad," he said. "If anything, we should be glad that Ahnnie has a chance to find her way back. That is, if Geloë's knowledge can allow it. I am not sure if she has ever had to transport otherworldly beings back to their homes before. You will have nothing to fear from Simon and me either, we are not barbarians. And who knows, this world is a strange place; we may one way or another end up seeing Ahnnie again."

Ahnnie grew silent, and stared down onto the floor at her feet. She didn't notice Geloë's bird-eyes looking at her, watching for what she would say to that. In truth, it would be very good if she could go back to her home world. She wasn't homesick per se, as she often had adventures away from home like this. But going on an adventure and being lost in another world were two completely different things. There was just something frightening about the aspect.

Then again, this world was in peril. Ahnnie wasn't one to come to people's rescues, but the days she'd spent with Binabik, Simon, Marya, Qantaqa and even Leleth seemed to somehow forge a bond between her and them, even if they weren't many. And anyhow, staying in one place for too long of a time; especially since she had no way of knowing when Geloë was going to be able to find a way to transport her back; didn't seem like a good thing to do for someone like her. Then there was the mystery of the boy, the book, and the masked queen...

"Actually," she said after a while, "I want to go with you."

Binabik arched an eyebrow. "Really? You are not just saying that because Marya is sad?"

"No," the girl said indignantly. "I really want to go along. I want to find out who that boy was, and why I was trying to take the book away from him. And maybe...well, I don't say this often...I also want to help you." After no one said anything, she hurriedly added, "I swear, I can help! I have what you would call 'magic', and it's really helpful on trips like these. You won't regret it, promise."

"No one is doubting you," the troll said, a smile widening on his face. "Just be sure you are prepared for some question-asking; Simon here will overflowing with curiosity."

Simon blushed again. "Not always," he protested halfheartedly, knowing that the troll was joking.

Marya's eyes lit up, and she looked hopefully at Ahnnie. "This is wonderful! I'll promise to tell Prince Josua of your bravery."

"Oh..." It was Ahnnie's turn to blush, and she scratched the back of her neck nervously. "Er...you don't have to..." Then, with a reluctant turn towards Geloë, she shyly asked, "Um...that is...I can go...can I?"

The witch woman was smiling again. "It is your decision, young one. If you wish to go, then you may go. I cannot, and will not, stop you."

"Ok..." Despite the valada's words, Ahnnie wore a look of relief on her face, with a hint of spreading excitement.

"Now that we are done, let us go back to what Binabik was asking," Geloë suddenly began. "It seems clear to me that you must get through the forest to _Da'ai Chikiza_. That is an old Sithi-place, long deserted, of course. There you can find the Stile, which is an old road through the hills from a time when the Sithi traveled regularly between there and Asu'a; the Hayholt. It is unused now, except by animals, but it will be the easiest, safest place to cross. I can give you a map in the morning. Yes, Da'ai Chikiza..." She nodded slowly to herself, and her yellow bird-eyes seemed lost in distant thought. But after a blink or so she returned back to normal.

"Now you should sleep," the witch woman said. "We should all sleep. The day's doings have left me as limp as a willow branch."

_Even after the long nap she had, _Ahnnie thought. _That Dream-Road trip must have taken a heavy toll on her..._

* * *

That night, as all of them laid down to sleep, Ahnnie still lay awake on her back, hugging her blanket and staring at the ceiling of the witch woman's cottage. She was finding herself growing increasingly interested in this new adventure of hers and eager to set out on it. Even if it was to just go along and provide help for the group on their way to Naglimund, at least she was doing _something. _And anyway, who ever said they wouldn't go on any more?

She turned back on her side and listened to the sounds of everyone else's breathing, slowly falling into rhythm with them and bringing her own excitement along. This was going to be the journey of her lifetime...and she knew it.


	5. Chapter 5

My first reviewer! Thank you so much :D! I love the MS&T series too and was just taken aback by the lack of fandom for it. I hope you continue enjoy reading my fanfiction and apologize if I have taken too long in updating any of the chapters.

* * *

"Wake up," Geloë called out to her. "Ahnnie, Get up."

"Nnngh," the girl moaned sleepily, and a few moments later her eyes fluttered open weakly. "Valada...? Why?"

"You will know soon," the witch woman said. "For now, get ready and dressed. Binabik is already prepared."

Ahnnie lazily stretched and rolled over onto her side before propping herself drowsily on her elbows, one hand wiping the sleepiness out of her eyes. She blinked several times before she was able to make out the clutter of the valada's cottage, darkened by the nighttime outside and the lack of a fire. Without further ado, she kicked off her blanket and reached for her satchel, which held what she needed.

Then, hiding behind a folding screen of sorts, she changed out of her current setup into a stone gray graphic T-shirt; with a bra underneath this time; and comfortable sweatpants of the same color that cinched slightly above her ankle. A pair of socks were slipped onto her feet, and these in turn were tucked into the boots that she'd been leaving idle during her stay.

The change didn't take up little more than three minutes, and by the end of it she was stuffing her old clothes into a different compartment of the satchel. Once done she zipped it up and jumped to her feet, feeling as ready as ever. She was about to don her hooded jacket when Geloë stopped her.

"You will find this more suited to your needs," the witch woman said, handing her a nice, thick cloak.

The girl had it plopped into her hands rather unceremoniously, hence her dumbfoundednes. "O-oh...thank you...are you sure? Isn't this yours?"

"I have a spare one," Geloë reassured her. "And anyway, you will be needing something that can double as a blanket."

Ahnnie blinked, touched by the valada's gift. "Thank you. I promise I'll make good use of it."

"Very good," was all the valada cared to say before she moved on to waking Simon. "Go on to Binabik to see to the rations I've prepared for you," she instructed as she knelt down beside the sleeping youth.

The girl did as she was told and found the troll busy sorting out rations and supplies piled alongside two leather bags. She already knew at first glance that those bags would be for Simon and Marya.

"Let me help you," she said as she sat down.

Binabik nodded. "Here, these are your things." He pushed aside a portion of the rations over to her. "And when you are finishing, you can help me fill Marya's bag. I am half-done with Simon already."

Ahnnie nodded and followed his instructions. While she was helping him, she couldn't help but listen in on Geloë trying to wake up Simon.

"Let me sleep!" the youth was protesting. "It's too early!"

"Get up, boy!" the valada hissed harshly. "There is no time to waste."

After a moment of short silence, probably in which Simon was blinking awake and getting a feel for his surroundings, he asked, "What's going on?"

"I have been outside," Geloë explained loud enough for Ahnnie to hear. "The lake has been discovered; I assume by the men who were hunting you."

_What? _Ahnnie looked back in shock at the valada once, and then returned to the bag-packing. _Were they still following them? _

"Usires!" Simon swore, scrambling for his boots. "What shall we do? Will they attack us?"

"I do not know." Geloë was now going over to wake up Marya, but still talked to him. "There are two camps, one at the lake's far end by the inlet stream, one not far from here. Either way they know whose house this is and are trying to decide what to do, or they do not yet know the cottage is out here at all. They may have arrived after we put the candles out."

And then, as Simon-like as ever, he asked a question. "How do you know they're at the far end? It's so dark." He padded over to the window and tried to peer out into the mist beyond, but obviously saw nothing.

Indeed, how did the valada find them? Even if she did walk around outside, however wide the range of it may be, there was no guarantee that she would find any campfires much less her own way around; oh, and especially not in bare feet. But a look at the dew clinging to her hair and face and her hastily donned robe sparked both Simon and Ahnnie's memory of the great owl on the Dream-Road. No doubt, the youth himself was remembering how the strong talons carried him over the land and through the sky into safety.

"I don't suppose it's important, isn't it?" Simon said at last. "It's only important that we know they're out there."

_He's growing up already, _Ahnnie thought with half bemusement.

"Right you are, Simon-boy," the valada said softly before going over to see how Binabik and Ahnnie did with the bags. Marya was already awake, and preparing herself for the trip with a cloak the valada had also given her. "Listen," Geloë said again as Simon was coming over. "It is obvious you must get out now, before dawn, which will not be long in coming. The question is, how?"

"I can help with that," Ahnnie said. "I have some things with me that can help silence footsteps. If everyone just follows the directions and doesn't sneeze or breathe too hard, then it can work."

"But I doubt you can slip by those terrible hounds," Geloë pointed out. "However, while you cannot slip away, you can float away. I have a boat tied beneath the house. It is not big, but it will hold you all; Qantaqa too, if she does not frolic around." She then gave the wolf an affectionate ear-rub.

"And of what good is that?" Binabik interjected. "Shall we paddle out to the center of the lake, then in the morning dare them to swim and get us?" The troll finished up with the bags and gave them to their corresponding owners.

"Didn't you hear? Geloë said that there was an inlet stream," Ahnnie reminded him.

The valada nodded. "It is small and not very fast-flowing, not even as strong as the one you followed on your way here. With four paddles you can easily make your way out of the lake and up it some ways." She frowned. "Unfortunately, it also passes by one of the two camps. Well, that is not to be helped. You must simply paddle quietly. Perhaps it will even help in your escape. Such a thickheaded man as your Baron Heahferth; believe me, I have had my dealings with him and his like!; would not credit that his quarry might slide by so near."

"Heahferth is not giving me worry," Binabik reassured her. "It is the one who is truly leading the hunt; the Black Rimmersman, Ingen Jegger."

"He probably doesn't even sleep," Simon added.

Ahnnie stayed silent, having nothing to say for it was still too early to underestimate or overestimate this Ingen Jegger she'd been hearing about. But if he did inspire some fear in Simon and Binabik, then he must be quite the bad guy, indeed.

Geloë made a face that was a mixture between humor and displeasure before saying, "Never fear, then. Or at least, do not let fear overwhelm you. Some useful distraction or other may occur...one never knows." She stood up and beckoned to Simon, "Come, boy, you are good-sized. Help me untie the boat and move it silently to the front door bridge."

Simon obeyed wordlessly, leaving his pack behind so that he could do the work easier.

* * *

When all that was done, the rest of them filed outside to arrange the seating on the boat. The moon was far back in the sky by now and the day was beginning to lighten. Despite that, it was still dark, and even then Ahnnie could see that Simon looked disturbed by something. _Must've been something he saw when he went to get the boat, _she thought.

"The boat is too small," Binabik frowned as he and Ahnnie tried to decide who would sit where. "It can only be fitting four people. One will be left out."

Ahnnie, her hand in her chin, inspected the wooden craft closely. "Hmm..."

Simon scratched his head. "I don't think looking at it any harder will change anything."

She tilted her head this way, then that. "No..."

"What?" Simon asked.

Ahnnie, ignoring him, snapped her fingers. "I have it!"

"You have what?" Marya asked her.

She turned to look excitedly at the others. "I have a spell that _can _make this boat fit another person. Just one more though." She looked at Geloë. "You're sure you're not going?"

The witch woman shook her head. "I am safe as I am, young one."

Ahnnie nodded. "Ok. Just stand back." She brought her hands together and stretched them forward, flexing both arms and fingers. The others had followed her instructions and backed away a few paces; Qantaqa did so only after she saw everyone else doing it. When Ahnnie was sure that the rest of them were cleared, she began to clamp both hands on one side of the boat.

It looked for a moment as though she were going to grip the wood and pull it with her bare hands, which obviously seemed ridiculous. But then a gentle, lavender-gold sparkling light began to warm up in her hands and illuminated the side she was gripping. With a slow pull, her hands were actually elongating the boat, much to the amazement of the onlookers. When it was stretched as far as she liked it, she jumped over to the other side and did the same thing so that both sides were equal in length.

Ahnnie jumped back to admire her work. When she did so, the light vanished, and all that was left was the same boat, but this time with room for another passenger. "Voila," she said as she presented it to them. "How do you like it now?"

Binabik's eyes were wide open, making him look even more childish. "Very much," he said.

Simon and Marya were speechless, their mouths open in big O's. Qantaqa sensed something different about the boat and started sniffing it vigorously.

Of course, there was no more time to contemplate what had just happened, so the four of them began to work on loading their things onto the boat and deciding the seating arrangements. The loading was easy, but the seating was not. Geloë stayed neutral to their discussions, perhaps to let them settle it independently, and did not speak up at all after Ahnnie's magic spell. So the matter was left up mostly to Ahnnie and Binabik.

In the end, the arrangement resulted with Binabik sitting in the prow. Behind him were Marya, Ahnnie, and then Simon with a fidgety Qantaqa squished between his legs. Even though the craft had undergone some level of change through Ahnnie's magic, it still seemed well balanced and capable of holding them all on the water. The added weight did not faze it any either.

Geloë handed them the paddles and instructed them: "Once you have gotten safely out of the lake and a bit upstream, I think you should probably carry the boat overland through the forest to the Aelfwent. It is not a very heavy craft, and you don't need to carry it far. The river is flowing in the proper direction, and should get you to Da'ai Chikiza."

Binabik nodded and pushed off gently with his paddle. Geloë waded out into the water to watch them leave. "Remember," she added in a whisper, "edge those paddles into the water as you reach the inlet stream. Silence! That is your protection."

Ahnnie looked back, now realizing that this was goodbye to the valada. After this, she might not see her again. Even though they had only known each other for two days and three nights, she was beginning to feel a sad sort of feeling when she thought this. The valada had become something of a guardian to her, a wiser being whom a young one like her could look up to for guidance.

_People come and go, _Ahnnie thought. _One second they are here with us, the next they are gone. It's amazing, though, how they can touch our lives...and how we touch theirs. _Soon, this will all be a certain chapter of her life, to look back on and reminisce. It will also be a certain chapter for Valada Geloë, of when she came to find and nurse back to health the magician girl known as Ahnnie; just as their interactions will become chapters for Binabik, Simon, Marya, and even Qantaqa.

Ahnnie gave the valada a little wave. She was too overwhelmed at the moment to say anything; and maybe, silence was just better than words at the moment.

"Farewell, Valada Geloë," Simon said as he raised his hand to the witch woman.

"Farewell, young pilgrim," Geloë responded. She was growing farther away already, her voice becoming harder to hear. "Good luck to you all. Fear not! I will take good care of the little girl."

And so they left her, in the dark of night just before sunrise. Farther, farther, and farther they went, until she was nothing more than a shadow by her stilted cottage. Ahnnie turned her head back to face the front, having stared after the valada for quite some time. There was no turning back now. There was only going forward. She pulled her cloak closer around her shoulders and prepared to bring out her paddle.

Binabik gave a signal, and they all lowered their heads. He began to silently guide the craft toward the center of the lake, with Ahnnie paddling as well to give them a boost. They were all quiet save for the low huffs of their breathing and the near-silent treading of the paddles in the water. Ahnnie feared at one point that the tension would get to her and make her drop the paddle...but after a deep breath, and a thought of reassurance, she calmed down and turned the painstaking silence into soothing peace. Right after she did so, it began to rain again.

It was nothing like the downpour from yesterday. The raindrops were light and scarce, but Ahnnie felt that she didn't mind this sudden drizzle. It was refreshing in the way a cool breeze on the cheek would be.

The sky was beginning to shed its darkness bit by bit, like a bird carefully preening its feathers. In the half-dark, half-light made, Ahnnie believed, the carpet of hyacinths that they were cutting through looked vastly magical. She had never seen so many flowers crowded in the water before, and even released a hand from her paddle to touch a few. They bent as her fingers pressed them, snapping back up after her hand left.

_How pretty, _she thought.

It wasn't just the hyacinths. All around them, their surroundings were growing more visible. The shoreline was no longer a long smear of shadow but something tangible with its reflection sharpened in the black looking-glass water. The treetops edging the horizon crowned the land like tufts of bushy, shadowy green hair. The sky was a very drab color of slate-gray by now, and to Ahnnie that only served to enhance the mysterious feel it was giving the lake. Any moment now and she was sure a lonely ghost would pop out from among the reeds. That, or a weeping nymph.

Directly in front of her, Marya was leaning forward on Binabik, as if she were going to tell him a secret. The longer she stayed that way, though, the more Ahnnie knew that it wasn't so. There was something up ahead that puzzled the castle girl. The rest of them weren't aware of it until Marya suddenly pointed up ahead; saying nothing, but indicating everything.

For just in front of them on the upcoming bank, was a square cloth tent striped in blue. Obviously not something that originated from the forest.

As they got closer, it was revealed that several other tents were scattered behind it. _This must be the camp of those who're looking for Simon, _Ahnnie thought. _And we're going to slip right under their noses. How ironic. _

There was no need for panic, however, as just beyond the camp was a large gap in the lake path where low-hanging tree branches dipped down, shielding the immediate space of water like the roof and beams of a miniature hall. Ahnnie knew for sure it was the inlet stream Geloë told them of. She felt a flash of gratitude within her heart that quickly vanished as the matters at hand came back to her. Now that they'd found it, all five of them; Qantaqa included; would have to pass by noiselessly or else they would be discovered.

As Ahnnie paddled around this area, she felt the resistance of the water becoming a little more forceful. Obviously, to keep them at a good pace, she started to work her arms harder in order to support Binabik, who was still rowing ahead. Simon had noticed the increased paddling and began to break out his own paddle, too. But Binabik, somehow catching the movement from the corner of his eye, turned around to shake his head and dissuade the youth from doing so. Simon reluctantly drew his paddle back in.

They were beginning to breach the point of the tents now. Ahnnie judged the distance between them and the tents to be around a hundred and twelve feet; not too close, but then again, not very far. Still seeing Binabik holding his paddle, she began to wonder when they would stop rowing; it was very near dawn now, and there would be no doubt that a number of the men at the camp were beginning to awaken. What if the soldiers were to come out to wash their faces, and catch sight of the five of them paddling down the lake in a boat...?

As if on cue, a hooded man suddenly emerged from around the corner, making Ahnnie feel as though her heart leapt right into her mouth. He was a sentry, for there was metal gleaming underneath his cloak. But could he see them? It was hard to tell, for the hood was drawn about his face and cast shadows over what would've been inside.

There seemed to be no general danger at the moment, for the sentry continued to move as though everything were still normal. Despite that, Binabik made a gesture to Ahnnie and the both of them slowly drew back their paddles. On his cue, all five of them leaned forward on each other in an effort to keep a low profile. It was hard to imagine that they could ever get out of it safely, not with the sentry standing so close.

_Oh please let him be the stupid type, _Ahnnie silently prayed.

But such was their luck when the current of the inlet stream began to fall upon them. It started off slowly, when their boat began to decrease in speed. But then as they were getting closer to its mouth, the force of the current pushed against the craft so that the nose was beginning to tip back around. In mere seconds they would be twisted right back down the path they had taken, and directly into the hands of their enemies. Unless, of course, they all paddled; but how could they do that without attracting the attention of the sentry?

Either way seemed to be a Sophie's choice.

_Dang it, _Ahnnie thought. _Has it really come to this? No matter...we'll have to do what we must. _I _have to do what I must. Getting away is much better than getting caught right now...even if they should follow us later..._So thinking, she began to hold on to the side of the boat, intending to get onto the water. With her magic ability, she could walk on it for a good while, long enough to delay the sentry...

However, she didn't have to carry out her actions, for a large and feathery bundle suddenly dropped from the trees. It raced on its wings to zero in on the sentry, sharp talons aiming for his neck. It was an owl, judging by its shape. But Ahnnie was too stunned at the moment to be thankful; it was just too coincidental to believe, and, _didn't owls sleep during the day? _

The sentry, too, was taken by surprise, and he batted futilely at the flapping bird after dropping his spear from the initial fright. His shout of horror sounded anything but manly and Ahnnie decided that this new development, while abrupt, was also a bit funny. Then when the owl flew teasingly out of his reach, the sentry shouted and dove down to pick up his fallen spear, eager to continue his fight better armed.

"Now!" Binabik hissed, snapping Ahnnie back into reality. "Paddle!"

Simon, Marya, and Ahnnie readily obeyed that command and pulled out their paddles as though their lives depended on it (and really, they did). Their rowing was rushed and desperate. The first few times seemed futile, as they had managed to steady the boat back into position but not propel it any farther. Eventually, though, there was progress, and they reveled in it as they began to pass underneath the overhanging branches of the inlet stream.

_Thank you, Geloë, _Ahnnie thought as they finally left behind the camp.

* * *

It seemed like they'd been paddling for an eternity. The river had been obstinate, demanding that they push against it in their struggle for freedom. Ahnnie knew it was hopeless to fight against nature, but...by the gods, wouldn't it be great if the river could change course for once? It'd be so much easier to flow with the current than to fight against it. Fortunately for all of them, they found a hedged-in backwater an hour later covered by a line of reeds where they could take a break.

It wasn't a very hot day, even with the sun almost full up in the sky. A thin sheet of mist still lay over everything, and the water gurgled merrily up ahead; a sure sign of rocks or obstacles on the way.

Ahnnie found herself a little sweaty, and it wasn't to be wondered at especially with all the work they'd been doing. Marya seemed to be taking the brunt of it, for her face was both red and wet with sweat, and she was laying her head down on her folded arms against the gunwale. Binabik didn't seem that fazed by their workout, although he did look grateful for the rest. Qantaqa, obviously, didn't have to do anything. And Simon...

Ahnnie turned around for a brief moment. Then she turned back. _Is Simon...ogling Marya? _She thought she saw his eyes looking the castle girl up and down; 'checking her out', as by the terms of her world; and gave a sigh. Boys, no matter from which world, were all the same. Give them a growth spurt and puberty and they think they're entitled to judge a girl's worth based on her looks. It's like some form of assessment, a summarization of one's battle opponent; except in this case, for flirting and love.

She couldn't blame him, though, and neither could she blame the boys from both worlds. Everyone grows up and notices the opposite gender at a certain point in life. She thought it was a little cute, and maybe innocent and naïve of him. Who knows? Maybe he and Marya would end up together sometime in the future. Sometime after this strange Norn business was finished.

"Are you all right, Marya?" Ahnnie asked the tired girl, for sake of conversation.

Marya lifted her head. "Oh, I'm fine," she said a little breathlessly.

Ahnnie nodded. "It sure was tough going, huh? Hopefully we've put the camp far enough behind us."

Marya smiled. "Yes, it was a little tough...but we made it, and that's what matters."

"Indeed. I'm interested in seeing Naglimund, as well. That would be the first town I've visited in this world."

The castle girl grew thoughtful for a moment, before nodding slowly. "Yes...that's true, isn't it?" She let out a regretful sigh. "It's too bad that these horrible things are going on; otherwise, I could show you Meremund. Now _there's _a city you'd like to visit."

Ahnnie was intrigued. "Really? What was it like?"

"Oh, it was wonderful," Marya breathed. Her eyes were noticeably brighter and the tone of her voice was more uplifting. "It's a city right by the sea where the river Gleniwent meets the ocean. The streets are always full of cheerful sailors and fish markets..."

Ahnnie happily listened to her recounting of the seaside city, and truly felt curious enough to want to go there. She wasn't sure whether there were beaches (and if people here enjoyed going to them) but she knew in her world that seaside cities were often top vacation spots. So perhaps Meremund might actually be a place someone would want to go to. She also did not deny that there was more than a little nostalgia in the descriptions, for Meremund must've been the place where Marya spent all or most of her childhood years.

"It sounds splendid," Ahnnie concluded. "I'd love for you to show me around there one day. I have a taste for the ocean air myself."

When they finished talking about Meremund, Marya sat up and asked of Binabik and Simon (who had been talking as well), "Are we going to try and cross to the other river now?"

"That might perhaps be a good idea," Binabik replied. "I believe that the noise which is sounding ahead is a gathering of rocks in the stream. If that is being the case, we would anyway have little choice but to carry the boat around. Perhaps Simon would go find out."

Simon didn't seem to hear Binabik. He had eyes for only Marya. And it seemed it would be getting a little troublesome.

"How many years old are you?" the redheaded youth asked Marya, startling Binabik and making him look back to stare. Marya's lips twitched in an obvious sign of stifling a smile, a smirk, or a frown.

"I am..." A pause. "I will have sixteen years in Octander."

_October, _Ahnnie thought, converting the month names.

"Fifteen, then," Simon said smugly.

"And you?" Marya returned.

Simon's feathers were ruffled. "Fifteen!"

"And I'm seventeen, to turn eighteen in Yuven, thanks for asking," Ahnnie added a little sarcastically.

Marya looked at her in astonishment. "I assumed you were as old as the both of us! Are you truly seventeen already?"

"Why, yes," Ahnnie replied.

"Are you..." The question was left to trail off for a bit, but then Marya continued it. "...married?"

Ahnnie was taken aback by that out-of-place kind of question. But then she remembered that in the past of her world, and perhaps the customs of this one, girls were married off as young as sixteen. "Oh! No! No, I'm not married yet. In my world, girls tend to wait until they are eighteen and up to marry. The laws consider anyone below eighteen as too young to do anything of the sort, so they are prohibited to until that age."

That, of course, surprised Simon and Marya. Ahnnie guessed that to them, waiting any longer than eighteen to marry would make a girl into an 'old maid'.

Binabik coughed, interrupting them. "Well and good that shipmates should have acquaintance of each other, but...Simon, could you go to see if those are indeed rocks ahead?"

Simon was about to oblige, but then suddenly stopped. Ahnnie wondered what was going on in his head. Did his flirting with Marya suddenly go to his brain? Or was he struggling against the fact that he didn't want to be ordered around anymore; teenage rebellion, as it was called in her world?

"As long as we need to cross to the whatever-it's-called, why bother?" he said rather rebelliously. "Let's just go do it."

_Whoa! _Ahnnie thought. _Totally teenage rebellion! If not, I don't know what else it can be._

Binabik was taken aback by this sudden defiant nature, and stared for a while before resignedly nodding his head. "Very well. I think it will do my friend Qantaqa good to be stretching her legs, besides." He turned to Mary and Ahnnie. "Wolves are not sailors, you know."

It was Marya's turn to stare, and she stared at Binabik as though he were weirder than Simon. Ahnnie looked back and forth between the two of them, understanding Binabik's joke, but not getting why Marya was so confused by it. The castle girl dispelled those thoughts, however, as she smiled and broke into a series of cheerful, ringing laughter.

"That's very true!" she said, before laughing some more.


End file.
